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•♦■^■»       ^* 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 


My  only  kingdom  is  here    . 
with  me,  Ailsa    .     . 


.    .     in  this  dear  woman's  arms.    Walk 
.     as  my  queen  and  my  wife  " 


THE  INTERNATIONAL 
ADVENTURE  LIBRARY 


THREE  OWLS  EDITION 


CLEEK  OF 
SCOTLAND  YARD 

Detective  Stories 

BY 

T.  P.  HANSHEW 

Author  of  "Cleek  the  Master  Detective", 
"Cleek's  Government  Cases**  etc 


W,  R.  CALDWELL  &  CO. 
NEW  YORK 


^ 


Copyright,  igi2,  igij,  igi4,  by 

BOUBLEDAY,  PaGE   &   COMPANY 

All  rights  reserved,  including  that  of 

translation  into  foreign  languages, 

including  the  Scandinavian 


9  ss 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 


M72lGir/ 


Cleek  of  Scotland  Yard 

PROLOGUE 

The  Affair  of  the  Man  Who  Vanished 

MR.  MAVERICK  NARKOM,  Superintendent  at  Scot- 
land Yard,  flung  aside  the  paper  he  was  reading  and 
wheeled  round  in  his  revolving  desk- chair,  all  alert  on  the 
instant,  like  a  terrier  that  scents  a  rat. 

He  knew  well  what  the  coming  of  the  footsteps  toward  his 
private  office  portended;  his  messenger  was  returning  at  last. 

Good!  Now  he  would  get  at  the  facts  of  the  matter,  and 
be  relieved  from  the  sneers  of  carping  critics  and  the  pin 
pricks  of  overzealous  reporters,  who  seemed  to  think  that 
the  Yard  was  to  blame,  and  all  the  forces  connected  with  it 
to  be  screamed  at  as  incompetents  if  every  evildoer  in  Lon- 
don was  not  instantly  brought  to  book  and  his  craftiest 
secrets  promptly  revealed. 

Gad!  Let  them  take  on  his  job,  then,  if  they  thought  the 
thing  so  easy!  Let  them  have  a  go  at  this  business  of  stop- 
ping at  one's  post  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  trying  to 
patch  up  the  jumbled  fragments  of  a  puzzle  of  this  sort,  if 
they  regarded  it  as  such  child's  play  —  finding  an  assassin 
whom  nobody  had  seen  and  who  struck  with  a  method 
which  neither  medical  science  nor  legal  acumen  could  trace 
or  name.     Then,  by  James     ... 

The  door  opened  and  closed,  and  Detective  Sergeant 
Petrie  stepped  into  the  room,  removing  his  hat  and  stand- 
ing at  attention. 


4  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Well?"  rapped  out  the  superintendent,  in  the  sharp 
staccato  of  nervous  impatience.  "Speak  up !  It  was  a  false 
alarm,  was  it  not?  " 

"No,  sir.  It's  even  worse  than  reported.  Quicker  and 
sharper  than  any  of  the  others.     He's  gone,  sir." 

"Gone?     Good  God!  you  don't  mean  dead?^^ 

"Yes,  sir.  Dead  as  Julius  Caesar.  Total  collapse  about 
twenty  minutes  after  my  arrival  and  went  off  like  that"  — 
snapping  his  fingers  and  giving  his  hand  an  outward  fling. 
"Same  way  as  the  others,  only,  as  I  say,  quicker,  sir;  and 
with  no  more  trace  of  v/hat  caused  it  than  the  doctors  were 
able  to  discover  in  the  beginning.  That  makes  five  in  the 
same  mysterious  way,  Superintendent,  and  not  a  ghost  of  a 
clue  yet.     The  papers  will  be  ringing  vath  it  to-morrow." 

"Ringing  with  it?  Can  they  'ring'  any  more  than  they 
are  doing  already?"  Narkom  threw  up  both  arms  and 
laughed  the  thin,  mirthless  laughter  of  utter  despair.  "Can 
they  say  anything  worse  than  they  have  said?  Blame  any 
more  unreasonably  than  they  have  blamed?  'It  is  small 
solace  for  the  overburdened  taxpayer  to  reflect  that  he 
maybe  done  to  death  at  any  hour  of  the  night,  and  that  the 
heads  of  the  institution  he  has  so  long  and  so  consistently 
supported  are  capable  of  giving  his  stricken  family  nothing 
more  in  return  than  the  "Dear  me!  dear  me!"  of  utter 
bewilderment;  and  to  prove  anew  that  the  efficiency  of  our 
boasted  police-detective  system  may  be  classed  under  the 
head  of  "Brilliant  Fiction."'  That  sort  of  thing,  day  after 
day  —  as  if  I  had  done  nothing  but  pile  up  failures  of  this 
kind  since  I  came  into  office.  No  heed  of  the  past  six  years' 
brilliant  success.  No  thought  for  the  manner  in  which  the 
pohce  departments  of  other  countries  were  made  to  sit  up 
and  to  marvel  at  our  methods.  Two  months'  failure  and 
that  doesn't  count !  By  the  Lord  Harry !  I'd  give  my  head 
to  make  those  newspaper  fellows  eat  their  words  —  gad, 
yes!" 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  5 

"Why  don't  you,  then,  sir?"  Petrie  dropped  his  voice  a 
tone  or  two  and  looked  round  over  the  angle  of  his  shoulder 
as  he  spoke;  then,  recollecting  the  time  and  the  improba- 
bility of  anybody  being  within  earshot,  took  heart  of  grace 
and  spoke  up  bolder.  ''There's  no  use  bhnking  the  fact, 
Mr.  Narkom ;  it  was  none  of  us  —  none  of  the  regular  force, 
I  mean  —  that  made  the  record  of  those  years  what  it  was. 
That  chap  Cleek  was  the  man  that  did  it,  sir.  You  know 
that  as  well  as  I.  I  don't  know  whether  you've  fallen  out 
with  him  or  not;  or  if  he's  ofT  on  some  secret  mission  that 
keeps  him  from  handling  Yard  matters  these  days.  But  if 
he  isn't,  take  my  advice,  sir,  and  put  him  on  this  case  at 
once." 

''Don't  talk  such  rot!"  flung  out  Narkom,  impatiently. 
"Do  you  think  I'd  have  waited  until  now  to  do  it  if  it  could 
be  done?  Put  him  on  the  case,  indeed!  How  the  devil 
am  I  to  do  it  when  I  don't  know  where  on  earth  to  find  him? 
He  cleared  out  directly  after  that  Panther's  Paw  case  six 
months  ago.  Gave  up  his  lodgings,  sacked  his  housekeeper, 
laid  off  his  assistant.  Dollops,  and  went  the  Lord  knows 
where  and  why." 

"My  hat!  Then  that's  the  reason  we  never  hear  any 
more  of  him  in  Yard  matters,  is  it?  I  wondered!  Disap- 
peared, eh?  Well,  w^ell!  You  don't  think  he  can  have 
gone  back  to  his  old  lay  —  back  to  the  wrong  'uns  and  his 
old  'Vanishing  Cracksman's'  tricks,  do  you,  sir?" 

"No,  I  don't.  No  backslider  about  that  chap,  by  James! 
He's  not  built  that  way.  Last  time  I  saw  him  he  was  out 
shopping  with  Miss  Ailsa  Lome  —  the  girl  w^ho  redeemed 
him  —  and  judging  from  their  manner  toward  each  other,  I 
rather  fancied  —  well,  never  mind!  That's  got  nothing 
to  do  with  you.  Besides,  I  feel  sure  that  if  they  had,  Mrs. 
Narkom  and  I  would  have  been  invited.  All  he  said  was 
that  he  was  going  to  take  a  holiday.  He  didn't  say  why,  and 
he  didn't  say  where.     I  wish  to  heaven  I'd  asked  him.     I 

/ 


6  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

could  have  kicked  myself  for  not  having  done  so  when  that 
she-devil  of  a  Frenchwoman  managed  to  slip  the  leash  and 
get  off  scot  free." 

."Mean  that  party  we  nabbed  in  the  house  at  Roehamp- 
ton  along  with  the  Mauravanian  baron  who  got  up  that 
Silver  Snare  fake,  don't  you,  sir?  Margot,  the  Queen  of 
the  Apaches.  Or,  at  least,  that's  who  you  declared  she  was, 
I  recollect." 

"And  that's  who  I  still  declare  she  was!"  rapped  in  Nar- 
kom,  testily,  "and  what  I'll  continue  to  say  while  there's  a 
breath  left  in  me.  I  never  actually  saw  the  woman  until 
that  night,  it  is  true,  but  Cleek  told  me  she  was  Margot; 
and  who  should  know  better  than  he,  when  he  was  once 
her  pal  and  partner?  But  it's  one  of  the  infernal  drawbacks 
of  British  justice  that  a  crook's  word's  as  good  as  an  officer's 
if  it's  not  refuted  by  actual  proof.  The  woman  brought  a 
dozen  witnesses  to  prove  that  she  was  a  respectable  Aus- 
trian lady  on  a  visit  to  her  son  in  England;  that  the  motor  in 
which  she  was  riding  broke  down  before  that  Roehampton 
house  about  an  hour  before  our  descent  upon  it,  and  that 
she  had  merely  been  invited  to  step  in  and  wait  while  the 
repairs  were  being  attended  to  by  her  chauffeur.  Of  course 
such  a  chauffeur  was  forthcoming  when  she  was  brought  up 
before  the  magistrate ;  and  a  garage-keeper  was  produced  to 
back  up  his  statement;  so  that  when  the  Mauravanian 
prisoner  'confessed'  from  the  dock  that  what  the  lady  said 
was  true,  that  settled  it.  I  couldn't  swear  to  her  identity, 
and  Cleek,  who  could,  was  gone  —  the  Lord  knows  where; 
upon  which  the  magistrate  admitted  the  woman  to  bail  and 
delivered  her  over  to  the  custody  of  her  solicitors  pending 
my  efforts  to  get  somebody  over  from  Paris  to  identify  her. 
And  no  sooner  is  the  vixen  set  at  large  than  —  presto !  — 
away  she  goes,  bag  and  baggage,  out  of  the  country,  and 
not  a  man  in  England  has  seen  hide  nor  hair  of  her  since. 
Gad !  if  I  could  but  have  got  word  to  Cleek  at  that  time  — 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  7 

just  to  put  him  on  his  guard  against  her.  But  I  couldn't. 
IVe  no  more  idea  than  a  child  where  the  man  went  —  not 
one." 

"It's  pretty  safe  odds  to  lay  one's  head  against  a  brass 
farthing  as  to  where  the  woman  went,  though,  I  reckon," 
said  Petrie,  stroking  his  chin.  "Bunked  it  back  to  Paris, 
I  expect,  sir,  and  made  for  her  hole  Hke  any  other  fox.  I 
hear  them  French  'tecs  are  as  keen  to  get  hold  of  her  as  we 
were,  but  she  slips  'em  like  an  eel.  Can't  lay  hands  on  her, 
and  couldn't  swear  to  her  identity  if  they  did.  Not  one 
in  a  hundred  of  'em's  ever  seen  her  to  be  sure  of  her,  I'm 
told." 

'"No,  not  one.  Even  Cleek  himself  knows  nothing  of 
who  and  what  she  really  is.  He  confessed  that  to  me. 
Their  knowledge  of  each  other  began  when  they  threw  in 
their  lot  together  for  the  first  time,  and  ceased  when  they 
parted.  Yes,  I  suppose  she  did  go  back  to  Paris,  Petrie  — • 
it  would  be  her  safest  place;  and  there'd  be  rich  pickings 
there  for  her  and  her  crew  just  now.  The  city  is  en  fetCj 
you  know." 

"Yes,  sir.  King  Ulric  of  Mauravania  is  there  as  the 
guest  of  the  Republic.  Funny  time  for  a  king  to  go  vis- 
iting another  nation,  sir,  isn't  it,  when  there's  a  revolu- 
tion threatening  in  his  own?  Dunno  much  about  the  ways 
of  kings.  Superintendent,  but  if  there  was  a  row  coming  up 
in  my  house,  you  can  bet  all  you're  worth  I'd  be  mighty 
sure  to  stop  at  home." 

"Diplomacy,  Petrie,  diplomacy!  he  may  be  safer  where 
he  is.  Rumours  are  afloat  that  Prince  What's-his-name, 
son  and  heir  of  the  late  Queen  Karma,  is  not  only  still 
living,  but  has,  during  the  present  year,  secretly  visited 
Mauravania  in  person.  I  see  by  the  papers  that  that  rip- 
ping old  royalist.  Count  Irma,  is  imphcated  in  the  revolu- 
tionary movement  and  that,  by  the  king's  orders,  he  has 
been  arrested  and  imprisoned  in  the  Fort  of  Sulberga  on  a 


8  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

charge  of  sedition.  Grand  old  johnny,  that  —  I  hope  no 
harm  comes  to  him.  He  was  in  England  not  so  long  ago. 
Came  to  consult  Cleek  about  some  business  regarding  a  lost 
pearl,  and  I  took  no  end  of  a  fancy  to  him.  Hope  he  pulls 
out  all  right;  but  if  he  doesn't  —  oh,  well,  we  can't  bother 
over  other  people's  troubles  —  we've  got  enough  of  our  own 
just  now  with  these  mysterious  murders  going  on,  and  the 
newspapers  hammering  the  Yard  day  in  and  day  out.  Gad ! 
how  I  wish  I  knew  how  to  get  hold  of  Cleek  —  how  I  wish  I 
did!" 

"Can't  you  find  somebody  to  put  you  on  the  lay,  sir? 
some  friend  of  his  —  somebody  that's  seen  him,  or  maybe 
heard  from  him  since  you  have?" 

"Oh,  don't  talk  rubbish!"  snapped  Narkom,  with  a  short, 
derisive  laugh.  "Friends,  indeed!  What  friends  has  he 
outside  of  myself?  Who  knows  him  any  better  than  I  know 
him  —  and  what  do  I  know  of  him,  at  that?  Nothing  • —  not 
where  he  comes  from;  not  what  his  real  name  may  be;  not 
a  living  thing  but  that  he  chooses  to  call  himself  Hamilton 
Cleek  and  to  fight  in  the  interest  of  the  law  as  strenuously 
as  he  once  fought  against  it.  And  where  will  I  find  a  man 
who  has  'seen'  him,  as  you  suggest  —  or  would  know  if  he 
had  seen  him  —  w^hen  he  has  that  amazing  birth  gift  to 
fall  back  upon?  You  never  saw  his  real  face  —  never  in  all 
your  life.  /  never  saw  it  but  twice,  and  even  I  —  why, 
he  might  pass  me  in  the  street  a  dozen  times  a  day  and  I'd 
never  know  him  if  I  looked  straight  into  his  eyes.  He'd 
come  hke  a  shot  if  he  knew  I  wanted  him  —  gad,  yes!  But 
he  doesn't;  and  there  you  are." 

Imagination  was  never  one  of  Petrie's  strong  points.  His 
mind  moved  always  along  well-prepared  grooves  to  time- 
honoured  ends.  It  found  one  of  those  grooves  and  moved 
along  it  now. 

"Why  don't  you  advertise  for  him,  then?"  he  suggested. 
*'Put  a  Personal  in  the  morning  papers,  sir.     Chap  like 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  9 

that's  sure  to  read  the  news  every  day;  and  it's  bound  to 
come  to  his  notice  sooner  or  later.  Or  if  it  doesn't,  why, 
people  will  get  to  knowing  that  the  Yard's  lost  him  and  get 
to  talking  about  it  and  maybe  he'll  learn  of  it  that  way." 

Narkom  looked  at  him.  The  suggestion  was  so  bald,  so 
painfully  ordinary  and  commonplace,  that,  heretofore,  it 
had  never  occurred  to  him.  To  associate  Cleek's  name 
with  the  banalities  of  the  everyday  Agony  Column ;  to  con- 
nect him  with  the  appeals  of  the  scullery  and  the  methods  of 
the  raw  amateur!  The  very  outrageousness  of  the  thing 
was  its  best  passport  to  success. 

''By  James,  I  beUeve  there's  something  in  that!"  he  said, 
abruptly.  ''If  you  get  people  to  talking.  .  .  .  Well, 
it  doesn't  matter,  so  that  he  hears  —  so  that  he  finds  out  I 
want  him.  You  ring  up  the  Daily  Mail  while  I'm  scratch- 
ing off  an  ad.  Tell  'em  it's  simply  got  to  go  in  the  morn- 
ing's issue.  I'll  give  it  to  them  over  the  line  myself  in  a 
minute." 

He  lurched  over  to  his  desk,  drove  a  pen  into  the  ink  pot, 
and  made  such  good  haste  in  marshalling  his  straggling 
thoughts  that  he  had  the  thing  finished  before  Petrie  had 
got  farther  than  "Yes;  Scotland  Yard.  Hold  the  line, 
please;  Superintendent  Narkom  wants  to  speak  to  you." 

The  Yard's  requests  are  at  all  times  treated  with  respect 
and  courtesy  by  the  controlling  forces  of  the  daily  press,  so 
it  fell  out  that,  late  as  the  hour  was,  "space"  was  accorded, 
and,  in  the  morning,  half  a  dozen  papers  bore  this  notice 
prominently  displayed:  ■ 

"  Cleek  —  Where  are  you?  Urgently  needed.  Communi- 
cate at  once.  —  Maverick  Narkom.''^ 

The  expected  came  to  pass ;  and  the  unexpected  followed 
close  upon  its  heels.  The  daily  press,  publishing  the  full 
account  of  the  latest  addition  to  the  already  long  Hst  of 


10  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

mysterious  murders  which,  for  a  fortnight  past,  had  been 
adding  nervous  terrors  to  the  public  mind,  screamed  afresh 
—  as  Narkom  knew  that  it  would  —  and  went  into  parox- 
ysms of  the  Reporters'  Disease  until  the  very  paper  was 
yellow  with  the  froth  of  it.  The  afternoon  editions  were 
still  worse  —  for,  between  breakfast  and  lunch  time,  yet 
another  man  had  fallen  victim  to  the  mysterious  assassin  — 
and  sheets  pink  and  sheets  green,  sheets  gray  and  sheets 
yellow  were  scattering  panic  from  one  end  of  London  to  the 
other.  The  police-detective  system  of  the  country  was 
rotten!  The  Government  should  interfere  —  must  inter- 
fere! It  was  a  national  disgrace  that  the  foremost  city  of 
the  civilized  world  should  be  terrorized  in  this  appalling 
fashion  and  the  author  of  the  outrages  remain  undetected! 
Could  anything  be  more  appalling? 

It  could,  and  —  it  was !  When  night  came  and  the  even- 
ing papers  were  supplanting  the  afternoon  ones,  that  some- 
thing ''more  appalling"  —  known  hours  before  to  the  Yard 
itself  —  was  glaring  out  on  every  bulletin  and  every  front 
page  in  words  like  these: 

LONDON'S  REIGN  OF  TERROR 
APPALLING  ATROCITY  IN 

CLARGES  STREET 

SHOCKING  DYNAMITE 

OUTRAGE 

Clarges  Street!  The  old  "magic"  street  of  those  "ma- 
gic" old  times  of  Cleek,  and  the  Red  Limousine,  and  the 
Riddles  that  were  unriddled  for  the  asking!  Narkom 
grabbed  the  report  the  instant  he  heard  that  name  and 
began  to  read  it  breathlessly. 

It  was  the  usual  station  advice  ticked  through  to  head- 
quarters and  deciphered  by  the  operator  there,  and  it  ran 
tersely,  thus: 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  11 

"4:28  p.  M.  Attempt  made  by  unknown  parties  to  blow  up 
house  in  Clarges  Street,  Piccadilly.  Partially  successful. 
Three  persons  injured  and  two  killed.  No  clue  to  motive. 
Occupants,  family  from  Essex.  Only  moved  in  two  days  ago. 
House  been  vacant  for  months  previously.  Formerly  occupied 
by  retired  seafaring  man  named  Capt.  Horatio  Burbage, 
who " 

Narkom  read  no  farther.  He  flung  the  paper  aside  with 
a  sort  of  mingled  laugh  and  blub  and  collapsed  into  his  chair 
with  his  eyes  hidden  in  the  crook  of  an  upthrown  arm,  and 
the  muscles  of  his  mouth  twitching. 

''Now  I  know  why  he  cleared  out!  Good  old  Cleek! 
Bully  old  Cleek  1"  he  said  to  himself;  and  stopped  suddenly, 
as  though  something  had  got  into  his  throat  and  half 
choked  him.  But  after  a  moment  or  two  he  jumped  to  his 
feet  and  began  walking  up  and  down  the  room,  his  face 
fairly  glowing;  and  if  he  had  put  his  thoughts  into  words 
they  would  have  run  like  this : 

''Margot's  crew,  of  course.  And  he  must  have  guessed 
that  something  of  the  sort  would  happen  some  time  if  he 
stopped  there  after  that  Silver  Snare  business  at  Roehamp- 
ton  —  either  from  her  lot  or  from  the  followers  of  that 
Mauravanian  Johnnie  who  was  at  the  back  of  it.  They 
were  after  him  even  in  that  little  game,  those  two.  I  won- 
der why?  What  the  dickens,  when  one  comes  to  think  of  it, 
could  have  made  the  Prime  Minister  of  Mauravania  inter- 
est himself  in  an  Apache  trick  to  'do  in'  an  ex-cracksman? 
Gad!  she  flies  high,  sometimes,  that  Margot!  Prime  Min- 
ister of  Mauravania !  And  the  fool  faced  fifteen  years  hard 
to  do  the  thing  and  let  her  get  off  scot  free !  Faced  it  and  — 
took  it;  and  is  taking  it  still,  for  the  sake  of  helping  her 
to  wipe  off  an  old  score  against  a  reformed  criminal.  Won- 
der if  Cleek  ever  crossed  him  in  something?  Wonder  if 
he,  too,  was  on  the  'crooked  side'  once,  and  wanted  to  make 
sure  of  its  never  being  shown  up?    Oh,  well,  he  got  his 


U  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

medicine.  And  so,  too,  will  this  unknown  murderer  who's 
doing  the  secret  killing  in  London,  now  that  this  Clarges 
Street  affair  is  over.  Bully  old  Cleek!  Slipped  'em  again! 
Had  their  second  shot  and  missed  you  I  Now  you'll  come 
out  of  hiding,  old  chap,  and  we  shall  have  the  good  old  times 
once  more." 

His  eye  fell  upon  the  ever-ready  telephone.  He  stopped 
short  in  his  purposeless  walking  and  nodded  and  smiled  to 
it. 

*' We'll  have  you  singing  your  old  tune  before  long,  my 
friend,"  he  said,  optimistically.  "I  know  my  man  —  gad, 
yes !  He'll  let  no  grass  grow  under  his  feet  now  that  this 
thing's  over.     I  shall  hear  soon  —  yes,  by  James  I  I  shall." 

His  optim-ism  was  splendidly  rewarded.  Not,  hov/ever^ 
from  the  quarter  nor  in  the  m^anner  he  expected.  It  had 
but  just  gone  hah-past  seven  when  a  tap  sounded,  the  door 
of  his  office  swmig  inward,  and  the  porter  stepped  into  the 
room. 

''Person  wanting  to  speak  with  you,  sir,  in  private,"  he 
announced.  ''Says  it's  about  some  Personal  in  the  morn- 
ing paper." 

" Send  him  in  —  send  him  in  at  once!"  rapped  out  Nar- 
kom  excitedly.  "Move  sharp;  and  don't  let  anybody  else 
in  until  I  give  the  word." 

Then,  as  soon  as  the  porter  had  disappeared,  he  crossed 
the  room,  twdtched  the  thick  curtains  over  the  window, 
switched  on  the  electric  hght,  wheeled  another  big  chair 
up  beside  his  desk  and,  with  face  aglow,  jerked  open  a 
drawer  and  got  out  a  cigarette  box  which  had  not  seen  the 
light  for  weeks. 

Quick  as  he  was,  the  door  opened  and  shut  again  before 
the  Kd  of  the  box  could  be  thrown  back,  and  into  the  room 
stepped  Cleek's  henchman  —  Dollops. 

"Hullo!  You,  is  it,  you  blessed  young  monkey?"  said 
Narkom  gayly,  as  he  looked  up  and  saw  the  boy.       "  Knew 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  13 

I'd  hear  to-day  —  knew  it,  by  James!  Sent  you  for  me, 
has  he,  eh?  Is  he  coming  himself  or  does  he  want  me  to 
go  to  him?  Speak  up,  and  —  Good  Lord!  what's  the  mat- 
ter with  you?     What's  up?     Anything  wrong?  " 

Dollops  had  turned  the  colour  of  an  under-baked  biscuit 
and  was  looking  at  him  with  eyes  of  absolute  despair. 

''Sir,"  he  said,  moving  quickly  forward  and  speaking  in 
the  breathless  manner  of  a  spent  runner  —  ''Sir,  I  was 
a-hopin'  it  was  a  fake,  and  to  hear  you  speak  like  that  — 
Gawd's  truth,  guv'ner,  you  don't  mean  as  it's  real,  sir,  do 
you?     That  you  don't  know  either?  " 

"Know?     Know  what?" 

"Where  he  is  —  wot's  become  of  him?  Mr.  Cleek, 
the  guv'ner,  sir.  I  made  sure  that  you'd  know  if  anybody 
would.  That's  wot  made  me  come,  sir.  I'd  'a'  gone  off  me 
bloomin'  dot  if  I  hadn't  —  after  you  a-puttin'  in  that  Per- 
sonal and  him  never  a-turnin'  up  like  he'd  ort.  Sir,  do  you 
mean  to  say  as  you  don't  know  where  he  is,  and  haven't  seen 
him  even  yet?" 

"No,  I've  not.     Good  Lord !  haven't  you? " 

"No,  sir.  I  aren't  clapped  eyes  on  him  since  he  sent  me 
of?  to  the  bloomin'  seaside  six  months  ago.  All  he  told  me 
when  we  come  to  part  was  that  Miss  Lome  was  goin'  out 
to  India  on  a  short  visit  to  Cap'n  and  Mrs.  'Awksley  — 
Lady  Chepstow  as  was,  sir  —  and  that  directly  she  was 
gone  he'd  be  knockin'  about  for  a  time  on  his  own,  and  I 
wasn't  to  worry  over  him.  I  haven't  seen  hide  nor  hair  of 
him,  sir,  since  that  hour.'' 

"Nor  heard  from  him?  "  Narkom's  voice  was  thick  and 
the  hand  he  laid  on  the  chair-back  hard  shut. 

"Oh,  yes,  sir,  I've  heard  —  I'd  have  gone  off  my  bloomin' 
dot  if  I  hadn't  done  that.  Heard  from  him  twice.  Once 
when  he  wrote  and  gimme  my  orders  about  the  new  place 
he's  took  up  the  river  —  four  weeks  ago.  The  second  time, 
last  Friday,  sir,  when  he  wrote  me  the  thing  that's  fetched 


14.  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

me  here  —  that's  been  tearin'  the  heart  out  of  me  ever  since 
I  heard  at  Charing  Cross  about  wot's  happened  at  Clarges 
Street,  sir." 

''And  what  was  that?" 

"Why,  sir,  he  wrote  that  he'd  jist  remembered  about  some 
papers  as  he'd  left  behind  the  wainscot  in  his  old  den,  and 
that  he'd  get  the  key  and  drop  in  at  the  old  Clarges  Street 
house  on  the  way  'ome.  Said  he'd  arrive  in  England  either 
yesterday  afternoon  or  this  one,  sir;  but  whichever  it  was, 
he'd  wire  me  from  Dover  before  he  took  the  train.  And  he 
never  done  it,  sir  —  my  Gawd  I  he  never  done  it  in  this 
world!" 

"  Good  God!"  Narkom  fxung  out  the  words  in  a  sort  of 
panic,  his  Ups  twitching,  his  whole  body  shaking,  his  face 
like  the  face  of  a  dead  man. 

"He  never  done  it,  I  tell  you!"  pursued  Dollops  in  an 
absolute  tremble  of  fright.  "I  haven't  never  had  a  blessed 
line;  and  now  this  here  awful  thing  has  happened.  And 
if  he  done  what  he  said  he  was  a-goin'  to  do  —  if  he  come  to 
town  and  went  to  that  house " 

If  he  said  more,  the  clanging  of  a  bell  drowned  it  com- 
pletely.  Narkom  had  turned  to  his  desk  and  was  ham- 
mering furiously  upon  the  call  gong.  A  scurry  of  flying 
feet  came  up  the  outer  passage,  the  door  opened  in  a  flash, 
and  the  porter  was  there.  And  behind  him  Lennard,  the 
chaufteur,  who  guessed  from  that  excited  summons  that 
there  would  be  a  call  for  hhn. 

"The  limousine  —  as  quick  as  you  can  get  her  round!'* 
said  Narkom  in  the  sharp  staccato  of  excitement.  "To  the 
scene  of  the  explosion  in  Clarges  Street  first,  and  if  the  bodies 
of  the  victims  have  been  removed,  then  to  the  mortuary 
without  an  instant's  delay." 

He  dashed  into  the  inner  room,  grabbed  his  hat  and  coat 
down  from  the  hook  where  they  were  hanging,  and  dashed 
back  again  like  a  man  in  a  panic. 


CLEEK  01  SCOTLAND  YARD  15 

*^Come  on!"  he  said,  beckoning  to  Dollops  as  he  flung 
open  the  door  and  ran  out  into  the  passage.     ''If  they've 

'  done  him  in'  —  him  I  —  if  they  Ve  '  got  him'  after  all 

Come  on !  come  on ! " 

Dollops  "came  on"  with  a  rush;  and  two  minutes  later 
the  red  limousine  swung  out  into  the  roadway  and  took  the 
distance  between  Scotland  Yard  and  Clarges  Street  at  a 
miie-a-minute  cHp. 

Arrival  at  the  scene  of  the  disaster  elicited  the  fact  that 
the  remains  —  literally  ''remains,"  since  they  had  been 
well-nigh  blown  to  fragments  —  had,  indeed,  been  removed 
to  the  mortuary;  so  thither  Narkom  and  Dollops  followed 
them,  their  fears  being  in  no  wise  Kghtened  by  learning  that 
the  bodies  were  undeniably  those  of  men.  As  the  features 
of  both  victims  were  beyond  any  possibility  of  recognition, 
identification  could,  of  course,  be  arrived  at  only  through 
bodily  marks;  and  Dollops's  close  association  with  Cleek 
rendered  him  particularly  capable  of  speaking  with  author- 
ity regarding  those  of  his  master.  It  was,  therefore,  a 
source  of  unspeakable  dehght  to  both  Narkom  and  himself, 
when,  after  close  and  minute  examination  of  the  remains, 
he  was  able  to  say,  positively,  "Sir,  whatever's  become  of 
him,  praise  God,  neither  of  these  here  two  dead  men  is  him, 
bless  his  heart!" 

"So  they  didn't  get  him  after  all!"  supplemented  Nar- 
kom, laughing  for  the  first  time  in  hours.  "  Still,  it  cannot 
be  doubted  that  whoever  committed  this  outrage  was  after 
him,  since  the  people  who  have  suffered  are  complete  stran- 
gers to  the  locality  and  had  only  just  moved  into  the  house. 
No  doubt  the  person  or  persons  who  threw  the  bomb  knew  of 
Cleek's  having  at  one  time  lived  there  as  '  Captain  Burbage' 
—  Margot  did,  for  one  —  and  finding  the  house  still  oc- 
cupied, and  not  knowing  of  his  removal  —  why,  there  you 
are." 


16  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

*'Margot!"  The  name  brought  back  all  Dollops'  ban- 
ished fears.  He  switched  round  on  the  superintendent  and 
laid  a  nervous  clutch  on  his  sleeve.  "And  Margot's  'lay' 
is  Paris.  Sir,  I  didn't  tell  you,  did  I,  that  it  was  from  there 
the  guv'ner  wrote  those  two  letters  to  me?" 

* '  Cinnamon !     From  Paris  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  sir.  He  didn't  say  from  wot  part  of  the  city  nor  wot 
he  was  a-doin'  there,  anyways,  but  —  my  hat!  Ksten  here, 
sir.  They' re  there  —  them  Mauravanian  johnnies  —  and 
the  Apaches  and  Margot  there,  too,  and  you  know 
how  both  lots  has  their  knife  into  him.  I  dunno  wot 
the  Mauravanians  is  got  against  him,  sir  (he  never  tells 
no  thin'  to  nobody,  he  don't),  but  most  like  it's  summink  he 
done  to  some  of  'em  that  time  he  went  out  there  about  the 
lost  pearl;  but  they  re  after  him,  and  the  Apaches  is  after 
him,  and  between  the  two !  .  .  .  Guv'ner  1"  —  his  voice 
rose  thin  and  shrill  —  "guv'ner,  if  one  lot  don't  get  him_, 
the  other  may;  and  —  sir  —  there's  Apaches  in  London  this 
very  night.     I  know!     I've  seen 'em." 

"Seen  them?     When?     Where?" 

"At  Charing  Cross  station,  sir,  jist  before  I  went  to  the 
Yard  to  see  you.  As  I  hadn't  had  no  telegram  from  the 
guv'ner,  like  I  was  promised,  I  went  there  on  the  off  chance, 
hopin'  to  meet  him  when  the  boat  train  come  in.  And 
there  I  see  'em,  sir,  a-loungin'  round  the  platform  where  the 
Dover  train  goes  out  at  nine  to  catch  the  night  boat  back  to 
Calais,  sir.  I  spotted  'em  on  the  instant  —  from  their 
walk,  their  way  of  carryin'  of  theirselves,  their  manner  of 
wearin'  of  their  bloomin'  hair.  Laughin'  among  themselves 
they  was  and  lookin'  round  at  the  entrance  every  now  and 
then  hke  as  they  was  expectin'  some  one  to  come  and  join 
'em;  and  I  see,  too,  as  they  was  a-goin'  back  to  where  they 
come  from,  'cause  they'd  the  return  halves  of  their  tickets  in 
their  hatbands.  One  of  'em,  he  buys  a  paper  at  the  book- 
stall and  sees  summink  in  it  as  tickled  him  wonderful,  for  I 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  17 

see  nim  go  up  to  the  others  and  point  it  out  to  'em,  and 
then  the  whole  lot  begins  to  larf  like  blessed  hyenas.  I 
spotted  wot  the  paper  was  and  the  place  on  the  page  the 
blighter  was  a-pointin'  at,  so  I  went  and  bought  one  myself 
to  see  wot  it  was.  Sir,  it  was  that  there  Personal  of  yours. 
The  minnit  I  read  that,  I  makes  a  dash  for  a  taxi,  to  go  to  you 
at  once,  sir,  and  jist  as  I  does  so,  a  newsboy  runs  by  me  v/ith 
a  bill  on  his  chest  tellin'  about  the  explosion;  and  then,  sir,  I 
fair  went  off  me  dot." 

They  were  back  on  the  pavement,  within  sight  of  the  lim- 
ousine, when  the  boy  said  this.  Narkom  brought  the  car 
to  his  side  with  one  excited  word,  and  fairly  wrenched  open 
the  door. 

"To  Charing  Cross  station  —  as  fast  as  you  can  streak 
it!"  he  said,  excitedly.  "The  last  train  for  the  night  boat 
leaves  at  nine  sharp.  Catch  it,  if  you  rack  the  motor  to 
pieces." 

" Crumbs!  A  minute  and  a  half!"  commented  Lennard, 
as  he  consulted  the  clock  dial  beside  him;  then,  just  waiting 
for  Narkom  and  Dollops  to  jump  into  the  vehicle,  he  brought 
her  head  round  with  a  swing,  threw  back  the  clutch,  and  let 
her  go  full  tilt. 

But  even  the  best  of  motors  cannot  accomplish  the  im- 
possible. The  gates  were  closed,  the  signal  down,  the  last 
train  already  outside  the  station  when  they  reached  it,  and 
not  even  the  mandate  of  the  law  might  hope  to  stay  it  or  to 
call  it  back. 

"Plenty  of  petrol?"  Narkom  faced  round  as  he  spoke 
and  looked  at  Lennard. 

"Plenty,  sir." 

"All  right  —  heat  it!  The  boat  sails  from  Dover  at 
eleven.     I've  got  to  catch  it.     Understand?" 

"Yes,  sir.  But  you  could  wire  down  and  have  her  held 
over  till  we  get  there,  Superintendent." 

Not  for  the  world!     She  must  sail  on  time;  I  must  get 


II 


18  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

aboard  without  being  noticed  —  without  some  persons  I'm 
following  having  the  least  cause  for  suspicion.  Beat  that 
train  —  do  you  hear  me?  —  heat  it !  I  want  to  get  there 
and  get  aboard  that  boat  before  the  others  arrive.  Do  you 
want  any  further  incentive  than  that?  If  so,  here  it  is  for 
you :     Mr.  Cleek's  in  Paris !     Mr.  Cleek's  in  danger ! " 

"Mr.  Cleek?  God's  truth!  Hop  in  sir,  hop  in!  I'll 
have  you  there  ahead  of  that  train  if  I  dash  down  the  Admir- 
alty Pier  in  flames  from  front  to  rear.  Just  let  me  get  to  the 
open  road,  sir,  and  I'll  show  you  something  to  ma£e  you 
sit  up." 

He  did.  Once  out  of  the  track  of  all  traffic,  and  with  the 
lights  of  the  city  well  at  his  back,  he  strapped  his  goggles 
tight,  jerked  his  cap  down  to  his  eyebrows,  and  leaned  over 
the  wheel. 

"For  Mr.  Cleek  —  do  you  hear?"  he  said,  addressing  the 
car  as  if  it  were  a  human  being.  "Now,  then,  show  what 
you're  made  of!  There!  Take  your  head!  Now  go,  you 
vixen!     GO!" 

There  was  a  sudden  roar,  a  sudden  leap;  then  the  car 
shot  forward  as  though  all  the  gales  of  all  the  universe  were 
sweeping  it  on,  and  the  wild  race  to  the  coast  began. 

Narkom  jerked  down  the  bHnds,  turned  on  the  Hght,  and 
flung  open  the  locker,  as  they  pounded  on. 

"Dip  in.  Get  something  that  can  be  made  to  fit  you," 
he  said  to  Dollops.  "We  can't  risk  any  of  those  fellows 
identifying  you  as  the  chap  who  was  hanging  round  the 
station  to-night.  Toss  me  over  that  wig  —  the  gray  one — • 
in  the  far  corner  there.  God  knows  what  we're  on  the  track 
of,  but  if  it  leads  to  Cleek  I'll  follow  it  to  the  end  of  time!" 
Then,  Hfting  his  voice  until  it  sounded  above  the  motor's 
roar,  "Faster,  Lennard,  faster!"  he  called.  "Give  it  to 
her !  give  it  to  her !    We've  got  to  beat  that  train  if  it  kills 


us!" 


They  did  beat  it.     The  engine's  light  was  not  even  in 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  19 

sight  when  the  bright  glare  of  the  moon  on  the  Channel's 
waters  flashed  up  out  of  the  darkness  before  them;  nor  was 
the  sound  of  the  train's  coming  even  faintly  audible  as 
yet,  when,  a  few  minutes  later,  the  limousine  swung  down 
the  incKne  and  came  to  a  standstill  within  a  stone's  throw 
of  the  entrance  to  the  pier,  at  whose  extreme  end  the  packet 
lay,  with  gangways  down  and  fires  up  and  her  huge  bulk 
rising  and  falling  with  the  movements  of  the  waves. 

^'Beat  her,  you  see,  sir,"  said  Lennard,  chuckhng  as  he  got 
down  and  opened  the  door  for  the  superintendent  to  alight. 
*' Better  not  go  any  nearer,  sir,  with  the  car.  There's  a 
chap  down  there  standing  by  the  gangplank  and  he  seems 
interested  in  us  from  the  way  he's  watching.  Jumped  up 
like  a  shot  and  came  down  the  gangplank  the  instant  he 
heard  us  coming.  Better  do  the  rest  of  the  journey  afoot, 
sir,  and  make  a  pretence  of  paying  me  —  as  if  I  was  a  public 
taxi.     What'll  I  do?     Stop  here  until  morning?  " 

^'Yes.  Put  up  at  a  garage;  and  if  I  don't  return  by  the 
first  boat,  get  back  to  town.  Meantime,  cut  off  somewhere 
and  ring  up  the  Yard.  Tell  'em  where  I've  gone.  Now 
then.  Dollops,  come  on!" 

A  moment  later  the  limousine  had  swung  off  into  the 
darkness  and  disappeared,  and  what  might  properly  have 
been  taken  for  a  couple  of  English  curates  on  their  way  to  a 
Continental  holiday  moved  down  the  long  pier  between  the 
glimmering  and  inadequate  lamps  to  the  waiting  boat. 
But  long  before  they  reached  it  the  figure  at  the  gangplank 
—  the  tall,  erect  figure  of  a  man  whom  the  most  casual 
observer  must  have  recognized  as  one  who  had  known  mili- 
tary training  —  had  changed  its  alert  attitude  and  was 
sauntering  up  and  down  as  if,  when  they  came  nearer  and 
the  light  allowed  him  to  see  what  they  were,  he  had  lost  all 
interest  in  them  and  their  doings.  Narkom  gave  the  man 
a  glance  from  the  tail  of  his  eye  as  they  went  up  the  gang- 
plank and  boarded  the  boat,  and  brief  as  that  glance  was, 


20  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

it  was  sufficient  to  assure  him  of  two  things:  First,  that  the 
man  was  not  only  strikingly  handsome  but  bore  himselt 
with  an  air  which  spoke  of  culture,  birth,  position;  second^ 
that  he  was  a  foreigner,  with  the  fair  hair  and  the  shghtly 
hooked  nose  which  was  so  characteristic  of  the  Maurava- 
nians. 

With  Dollops  at  his  side,  Narkom  slunk  aft,  where  the 
lights  were  less  brilKant  and  the  stern  of  the  boat  hung  over 
the  dark,  still  waters,  and  pausing  there,  turned  and  looked 
back  at  the  waiting  man. 

A  French  sailor  was  moving  past  in  the  darkness.  He 
stopped  the  man  and  spoke  to  him. 

*'Tell  me,"  he  said,  slipping  a  shilling  into  the  fellow's 
hand,  ''do  you  happen  to  know  who  that  gentleman  is, 
standing  on  the  pier  there?" 

''Yes,  m'sieur.  He  is  equerry  to  his  Majesty  King  Ulric 
of  Mauravania.  He  has  crossed  with  us  frequently  during 
his  Majesty ^s  sojourn  in  Paris." 

"Gawd's  truth,  sir,"  whispered  Dollops,  plucking  ner- 
vously at  the  superintendent's  sleeve  as  the  sailor,  after 
touching  his  cap  with  his  forefinger,  passed  on.  "Apaches 
at  one  end  and  them  Mauravanian  johnnies  at  the  other! 
I  tell  you  they're  a-workin'  hand  in  hand  for  some  reason  — 
workin'  against  him!^' 

Narkom  lifted  a  silencing  hand  and  turned  to  move  away 
where  there  would  be  less  Ukelihood  of  anything  they  might 
say  being  overheard;  for  at  that  moment  a  voice  had 
sounded  and  from  a  most  unusual  quarter.  Unnoticed 
until  now,  a  fisher's  boat,  which  for  some  time  had  been 
Hearing  the  shore,  swept  under  the  packet's  stern  and  grazed 
along  the  stone  front  of  the  pier. 

"Voila,  m'sieur,"  said,  in  French,  the  man  who  sailed  it. 
"Have  I  not  kept  my  word  and  brought  your  excellency 
across  in  safety  and  with  speed?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  the  passenger  whom  the  fisher  addressed. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  21 

He  spoke  in  perfect  French,  and  with  the  smoothness  of 
a  man  of  the  better  class.  *'Yoa  have  done  well 
indeed.  Also  it  was  better  than  waiting  about  at  Calais 
for  the  morning  boat.  I  can  now  catch  the  very  first  train 
to  London.    Fast  is  she?     There  is  your  money.     Adieu!" 

Then  came  the  sound  of  some  one  leaving  the  boat  and 
scrambling  ap  the  water  stairs,  and  hard  on  the  heels  of  it 
the  first  whistle  of  the  coming  train.  Narkom,  glancing 
round,  saw  a  slouching,  ill-clad  fellow  whose  appearance 
was  in  distinct  contrast  with  his  voice  and  manner  of  speak- 
ing, come  into  view  upon  the  summit  of  the  pier.  His  com- 
plexion was  sallow,  his  matted  hair  seemed  to  have  gone  for 
years  uncombed;  a  Turkish  fez,  dirty  and  discoloured,  was 
on  his  head,  and  over  his  arm  hung  several  bits  of  tapestry 
and  shining  stuff  which  betokened  his  calling  as  that  of  a 
seller  of  Oriental  draperies. 

This  much  Narkom  saw  and  would  have  gone  on  his  way, 
giving  the  fellow  no  second  thought,  but  that  a  curious  thing 
happened.  Moving  away  toward  the  footpath  which  led 
from  the  pier  to  the  town,  the  pedler  caught  sight  suddenly 
of  the  man  standing  at  the  gangplank;  he  halted  abruptly, 
looked  round  to  make  sure  that  no  one  was  watching,  then, 
without  more  ado,  turned  round  suddenly  on  his  heel, 
walked  straightway  to  the  gangplank  and  boarded  the  boat. 
The  Maura vanian  took  not  the  slightest  heed  of  him,  nor 
he  of  the  Mauravanian.  Afterward,  when  the  train  had 
arrived,  Narkom  thought  he  knew  why.  For  the  present 
he  was  merely  puzzled  to  understand  why  this  dirty,  greasy 
Oriental  pedler  who  had  been  at  the  pains  to  cross  the 
Channel  in  a  fisher's  boat  should  do  so  for  the  apparent  pur- 
pose of  merely  going  back  on  the  packet  to  Calais. 

By  this  time  the  train  had  arrived,  the  pier  was  alive  with 
people,  porters  were  running  back  and  forth  with  luggage, 
and  there  was  bustle  and  confusion  everywhere.  Narkom 
looked  along  the  length  of  the  vessel  to  the  teeming  gang- 


/ 

/ 


22  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 


way.  The  Mauravanian  was  still  there,  alert  as  before, 
his  fixed  eyes  keenly  watching. 

A  crowd  came  stringing  along,  bags  and  bundles  done  up 
in  gaudy  handkerchiefs  in  their  hands,  laughing,  jostUng, 
jabbering  together  in  low-class  French. 

''Here  they  are,  guv'ner  —  the  Apaches  I"  said  Dollops 
in  a  whisper.  "That's  the  lot,  sir.  Keep  your  eye  on  them 
as  they  come  aboard,  and  if  they  are  with  him  —  Crumbs! 
Not  a  sign;  not  a  blessed  one ! "  For  the  Apaches,  stringing 
up  the  gangplank  by  twos  and  threes  and  coming  within 
brushing  distance  of  the  waiting  man,  passed  on  as  the 
Oriental  pedler  had  passed  on,  taking  no  notice  of  him,  nor 
he  of  them,  nor  yet  of  how,  as  they  advanced,  the  ped- 
ler slouched  forward  and  slipped  into  the  thick  of  them. 

**By  James!  one  of  them  —  that's  what  the  fellow  is!'* 
said  Narkom,  as  he  observed  this.  "If  during  the  voyage 
the  Mauravanian  speaks  to  one  man  of  the  lot " 

He  stopped  and  sucked  in  his  breath  and  let  the  rest  of 
the  sentence  go  by  default.  For  of  a  sudden  there  had 
come  into  sight  upon  the  pier  a  dapper  httle  French  dandy, 
fuzzy  of  moustache,  mincing  of  gait,  with  a  flower  in  his 
buttonhole  and  a  shining  "topper"  on  his  beautifully  po- 
maded head;  and  it  came  upon  Narkom  with  a  shock  of  re- 
membrance that  he  had  seen  this  selfsame  Hving  fashion 
plate  pass  by  Scotland  Yard  twice  that  very  day ! 

Onward  he  came,  this  pretty  monsieur,  with  his  jaunty 
air  and  his  lovely  "wine-glass  waist,"  onward,  and  up  the 
gangway  and  aboard  the  packet;  and  there  the  Maurava- 
nian still  stood,  looking  out  over  the  crowd  and  taking  no 
more  heed  of  him  than  he  had  taken  of  anybody  else.  But 
with  the  vanishing  of  this  exquisite,  to  whom  he  had  paid 
no  heed,  his  alertness  and  his  interest  seemed  somehow  to 
evaporate;  for  he  turned  now  and  again  to  watch  the  sailors 
and  the  longshoremen  at  their  several  duties,  and  strolled 
leisurely  aboard  and  stood  lounging  against  the  rail  of  the 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  23 

lower  deck  when  the  call  of  "All  ashore  that's  going!"  rang 
through  the  vessel's  length,  and  was  still  lounging  there 
when  the  packet  cast  off  her  mooring,  and  swinging  her  bows 
round  in  the  direction  of  France,  creamed  her  way  out  into 
the  Channel  and  headed  for  Calais. 

A  wind,  unnoticed  in  the  safe  shelter  of  the  harbour, 
played  boisterously  across  the  chopping  waves  as  the  vessel 
forged  outward,  sending  clouds  of  spray  sweeping  over  the 
bows  and  along  the  decks,  and  such  passengers  as  refrained 
from  seeking  the  shelter  of  the  saloon  and  smoke-room 
sought  refuge  by  crowding  aft. 

"Come!"  whispered  Narkom,  tapping  Dollops'  arm. 
"We  can  neither  talk  nor  watch  here  with  safety  in  this 
crowd.  Let  us  go  'forrard.'  Better  a  drenching  in  lone- 
liness than  shelter  with  a  crowd  Hke  this.     Come  along!" 

The  boy  obeyed  without  a  murmur,  following  the  larger 
and  heavier  built  "curate"  along  the  wet  decks  to  the  de- 
serted bows,  and  finding  safe  retreat  with  him  there  in  the 
dark  shadow  cast  by  a  tarpaulin-covered  Ufeboat.  From 
this  safe  shelter  they  could,  by  craning  their  necks,  get  a 
half  view  of  the  interior  of  the  smoke-room  through  its 
hooked-back  door;  and  their  first  glance  in  that  direction 
pinned  their  interest,  for  the  pretty  "Monsieur"  was  there, 
smoking  a  cigarette  and  sipping  now  and  again  at  a  glass 
of  absinthe  which  stood  on  a  little  round  table  at  his  elbow. 
But  of  the  Mauravanian  or  the  Apaches  or  of  the  Oriental 
pedler,  there  was  neither  sight  nor  sound,  nor  had  there 
been  since  the  vessel  started. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it?"  queried  Narkom,  when  at 
the  end  of  an  hour  the  dim  outlines  of  the  French  coast 
blurred  the  clear  silver  of  the  moonlit  sky.  "Have  we  come 
on  a  wild  goose  chase,  do  you  think?  What  do  you  sup- 
pose has  become  of  the  Apaches  and  of  the  pedler  chap?" 

"Travellin'  second  class,"  said  Dollops,  after  stealing 
out  and  making  a  round  of  the  vessel  and  creeping  back  into 


24  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

the  shadow  of  the  Hfeboat  unseen.  ''Pallin'  with  'em,  he 
is,  sir.  Makin'  a  play  of  selHn'  'em  things  for  their  donahs 
• — for  the  sake  of  appearances.  One  of  'em,  he  is;  and  if 
either  that  Frenchy  or  that  Mauravanian  johnny  is  mixed 
up  with  them  —  lay  low!  Smeller  to  the  ground,  sir,  and 
eyes  and  ears  wide  open !     We'll  know  wot's  wot  now ! " 

For  of  a  sudden  the  Mauravanian  had  come  into  view 
far  down  the  wet  and  glistening  promenade  deck  and  was 
whistling  a  curious,  Kiting  air  as  he  strolled  along  past  the 
open  door  of  the  smoke-room. 

Just  the  mere  twitch  of  ''Monsieur's"  head  told  when  he 
heard  that  tune.  He  finished  his  absinthe,  flung  aside  his 
cigarette,  and  strolled  leisurely  out  upon  the  deck.  The 
Mauravanian  was  at  the  after  end  of  the  promenade  —  a 
glance  told  him  that.  He  set  hjs  face  resolutely  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  bows  and  sauntered  leisurely  along.  He 
moved  on  quietly,  until  he  came  to  the  very  end  of  the 
covered  promenade  where  the  curving  front  of  the  deck- 
house looked  out  upon  the  spray- washed  forward  deck, 
then  stopped  and  planted  his  back  against  it  and  stood  si- 
lently waiting,  not  ten  feet  distant  from  where  Narkom  and 
Dollops  crouched. 

A  minute  later  the  Mauravanian,  continuing  what  was 
to  all  appearances  a  lonely  and  aimless  promenade  round 
the  vessel,  came  abreast  of  that  spot  and  of  him. 

And  then,  the  deluge! 

''Monsieur"  spoke  out  —  guardedly,  but  in  a  clear,  crisp 
tone  that  left  no  room  for  doubt  upon  one  point,  at  least. 

"Mon  ami,  it  is  done  —  it  is  accomphshed,"  that  crisp 
voice  said.  *'You  shall  report  that  to  his  Majesty's  min- 
isters.    Voila,  it  is  done ! " 

''It  is  not  donel"  repHed  the  Mauravanian,  in  a  swift, 
biting,  emphatic  whisper.  "You  jump  to  conclusions  too 
quickly.  Here!  take  this.  It  is  an  evening  paper.  The 
thing  was  useless  —  he  was  not  there ! " 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  25 

''Not  there!     Grande  Dieu!" 

''Sh-h !  Take  it  —  read  it.  I  will  see  you  when  we  land. 
Not  here  —  it  is  ,00  dangerous.     Au  revoir ! " 

Then  he  passed  on  and  round  the  curve  of  the  deckhouse 
to  the  promenade  on  the  other  side;  and  ''Monsieur,"  with 
the  paper  hard  shut  in  the  grip  of  a  tense  hand,  moved 
fleetly  back  toward  the  smoke-room. 

But  not  unknown  any  longer. 

"Gawd's  truth  —  a  woman!"  gulped  Dollops  in  a  shak- 
ing voice. 

"No,  not  a  woman  —  a  devil! "  said  Narkom  through  his 
teeth.  "Margot,  by  James!  Margot,  herself!  And  what 
is  he  —  what  is  Cleek  —  that  a  king  should  enter  into  com- 
pact with  a  woman  to  kill  him?  Margot,  dash  her!  Well, 
I'll  have  you  now,  my  lady  —  yes,  by  James,  I  will!" 

" Guv'ner !     Gawd's  truth,  sir,  where  are  you  going?" 

"To  the  operator  in  charge  of  the  wireless  —  to  send  a 
message  to  the  chief  of  the  Calais  police  to  meet  me  on  ar- 
rival!" said  Narkom  in  reply.  "  Stop  where  you  are.  Lay 
low!  Wait  for  me.  We'll  land  in  a  dozen  minutes' time. 
I'll  have  that  Jezebel  and  her  confederates  and  I'll  rout  out 
Cleek  and  get  him  beyond  the  clutches  of  them  if  I  tear  up 
all  France  to  do  it." 

"Gawd  bless  you,  sir,  Gawd  bless  you  and  forgive  me!" 
said  Dollops  with  a  lump  in  his  throat  and  a  mist  in  his 
eyes.  "I  said  often  you  was  a  sosidge  and  a  muff,  sir,  but 
you  aren't  —  you're  a  man ! " 

Narkom  did  not  hear.  He  was  gone  already  —  down  the 
deck  to  the  cabin  of  the  wireless  operator.  In  another  mo- 
ment he  had  passed  in,  shut  the  door  behind  him,  and  the 
Law  at  sea  was  talking  to  the  Law  ashore  through  the  blue 
ether  and  across  the  moonlit  waves. 

It  was  ten  minutes  later.  The  message  had  gone  its  way 
and  Narkom  was  back  in  the  hfeboat's  shadow  again,  and 


m  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

close  on  the  bows  the  lamps  of  Calais  pier  shone  yellow  in 
the  blue-and-silver  darkness.  On  the  deck  below  people 
were  bustling  about  and  making  for  the  place  where  the 
gangplank  v/as  to  be  thrust  out  presently,  and  link  boat  and 
shore  together.  On  the  quay,  customs  officials  were  making 
ready  for  the  coming  inspection,  porters  w^ere  scuttling 
about  in  their  blue  smocks  and  peaked  caps,  and,  back  of  all, 
the  outlines  of  Calais  Town  loomed,  shadowy  and  grim 
through  the  crowding  gloom. 

The  loneliness  of  the  upper  deck  offered  its  attractions 
to  the  Mauravanian  and  to  Margot,  and  in  the  emptiness 
of  it  they  met  again  —  within  earshot  of  the  lifeboat  w^here 
Narkom  and  the  boy  lay  hidden  —  for  one  brief  w^ord  be- 
fore they  went  ashore. 

''So,  you  have  read:  you  understand  how  useless  it  w^as?^' 
the  Mauravanian  said,  joining  her  again  at  the  deckhouse, 
where  she  stood  with  the  crumpled  newspaper  in  her  hand. 
''His  Majesty's  purse  cannot  be  lightened  of  all  that  prom- 
ised sum  for  any  such  bungle  as  this.  Speak  quickly; 
where  may  we  go  to  talk  in  safety?  I  cannot  risk  it  here 
—  I  will  not  risk  it  in  the  train.  Must  we  w^ait  until  we 
reach  Paris,  mademoiselle?  Or  have  you  a  lair  of  your  own 
here?^' 

"I  have  'lairs,'  as  you  term  them,  in  half  the  cities  of 
France,  Monsieur  le  Comte,"  she  answered  with  a  vicious 
little  note  of  resentment  in  her  voice.  "And  I  do  not  work 
for  nothing  —  no,  not  I !  I  paid  for  my  adherence  to  hi? 
Majesty's  Prime  Minister  and  I  intend  to  be  paid  for  my 
services  to  his  Majesty's  self,  even  though  I  have  this  once 
failed.  It  must  be  settled,  that  question,  at  once  and  for 
all  —  now  —  to-night." 

"I  guessed  it  would  be  like  that,"  he  answered,  with  a 
jerk  of  his  shoulders.  "Where  shall  it  be,  then?  Speak 
quickly.  They  are  making  the  landing  and  I  must  not  be 
seen  talking  wdth  you  after  we  go  ashore.     Where,  then?" 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  27 

"At  the  Inn  of  the  Seven  Sinners  —  on  the  Quai  d'Lorme 

—  a  gunshot  distant.     Any  cocher  will  take  you  there." 
"Is  it  safe?"     • 

"All  my  'lairs'  are  safe,  monsieur.  It  overhangs  the 
water.  And  if  strangers  come,  there  is  a  trap  with  a  bolt 
on  the  under  side.  One  way:  to  the  town  and  the  sewers 
and  forty  other  inns.  The  other:  to  a  motor  boat,  always 
in  readiness  for  instant  use.  You  could  choose  for  yourself 
should  occasion  come.     You  will  not  find  the  place  shut 

—  my  'lairs'  never  are.     A  password?     No,  there  is  none 

—  for  any  but  the  Brotherhood.  Nor  will  you  need  one. 
You  remember  old  Marise  of  the  'Twisted  Arm'  in  Paris? 
Well,  she  serves  at  the  Seven  Sinners  now.  I  have  pro- 
m.oted  Madame  Serpice  to  the  'Twisted  Arm'.  She  will 
know  you,  will  Marise.  Say  to  her  I  am  coming  shortly. 
She  and  her  mates  will  raise  the  roof  with  joy,  and  —  la! 
la!  The  gangway  is  out.  They  are  calling  all  ashore. 
Look  for  me  and  my  lads  close  on  your  heels  when  you 
arrive.     Au  revoir." 

"Au  revoir,"  he  repeated,  and  shpping  by  went  below 
and  made  his  way  ashore. 

She  waited  that  he  might  get  well  on  his  way  —  that  none 
might  by  any  possibility  associate  them  —  then  turning, 
went  down  after  him  and  out  to  the  pier,  where  her  crew 
were  already  forgathering;  and  when  or  how  she  passed 
the  word  to  them  that  it  was  not  Paris  to-night  but  the  Inn 
of  the  Seven  Sinners,  neither  Narkom  nor  Dollops  could 
decide,  closie  as  they  came  on  after  her,  for  she  seemed  to 
speak  to  no  one. 

"No  Inn  of  the  Seven  Sinners  for  you  to-night,  my  lady, 
if  my  friend  M.  Ducroix  has  attended  to  that  wireless  mes- 
sage properly,"  muttered  Narkom  as  he  followed  her. 
"Look  sharp,  Dollops,  and  if  you  see  a  Sergeant  de  Ville 
let  me  know.  They've  no  luggage,  that  lot,  and,  besides, 
they  are  natives,  so  they  will  pass  the  customs  in  a  jiffy. 


28  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Hullo !  there  goes  that  pedler  chap  —  and  without  his  fez 
or  his  draperies,  b'gadl  Through  the  customs  like  a  flash, 
the  bounder!  And  there  go  the  others,  too.  And  she  after 
them  —  she,  by  James!  God!  Where  are  Ducroix  and 
his  men?  Why  aren't  they  here?  "  —  looking  vainly  about 
for  some  sign  of  the  Chief  of  Police.  ''I  can't  do  anything 
without  him  —  here,  on  foreign  soil.  Why  in  heaven's  name 
doesn't  the  man  come?" 

"Maybe  he  hasn't  had  time,  guv'ner  —  maybe  he  wasn't 
on  hand  when  the  message  arrived,"  hazarded  Dollops. 
"It's  not  fifteen  minutes  all  told  since  it  was  dispatched. 
So  if " 

"There  she  goes!  there  she  goes!  Passed,  and  through 
the  customs  in  a  wink,  the  Jezebel!"  interposed  Narkom, 
in  a  fever  of  excitement,  as  he  saw  Margot  go  by  the  inspec- 
tor at  the  door  and  walk  out  into  the  streets  of  the  city. 
"Lord!  if  she  slips  me  now " 

"She  shan't!"  cut  in  Dollops,  jerking  down  his  hat  brim 
and  turning  up  his  collar.  "Wait  here  till  the  cops  come. 
I'll  nip  out  after  her  and  see  where  she  goes.  Like  as  not 
the  cops'll  know  the  place  when  you  mention  it;  but  if  they 
don't  —  watch  out  for  me;  I'll  come  back  and  lead  'em." 

Then  he  moved  hurriedly  forward,  passed  the  inspector, 
and  was  gone  in  a  twinkling. 

For  ten  wretched  minutes  after  he,  too,  had  passed  the 
customs  and  was  at  liberty  to  leave,  Narkom  paced  up  and 
down  and  fretted  and  fumed  before  a  sound  of  clanking 
sabres  caught  his  ear  and,  looking  round,  he  saw  M.  Du- 
croix enter  the  place  at  the  head  of  a  detachment  of  police. 
He  hurried  to  him  and  in  a  word  made  himself  known. 

"Ten  million  pardons,  m'sieur;  but  I  was  absent  when  the 
message  he  shall  be  deliver,"  exclaimed  Ducroix  in  broken 
English.  "I  shall  come  and  shall  bring  my  men  as  soon 
as  he  shall  be  receive.  M'sieur,  who  shall  it  be  this  great 
criminal  you  demand  of  me  to  arrest?     Is  he  here?  " 


CLEEIv  OF  SCOTLAND  YAUD  29 

*^No,  no.  A  moment,  Ducroix.  Do  you  know  a  place 
:alled  the  Inn  of  the  Seven  Sinners?" 

*' Perfectly.  It  is  but  a  stone's  throw  distant  —  on  the 
Qaai  d'Lorme." 

'Xome  with  me  to  it,  then.  I'll  make  you  the  most 
envied  man  in  France,  Ducroix:  I'll  dehver  into  your  hands 
that  witch  of  the  underworld,  Margot,  the  Queen  of  the 
Apaches!" 

Ducroix's  face  Ht  up  like  a  face  transfigured. 

^'M'sieur!"  he  cried.  ''That  woman?  You  can  give 
me  that  woman?  You  know  her?  You  can  recognize 
her?  But,  yes,  I  remember!  You  shall  have  her  in  your 
hands  once  in  your  own  country,  but  she  shall  slip  you, 
as  she  shall  slip  everybody!" 

''She  won't  slip  you,  then,  I  promise  you  that!"  said 
Narkom.  "Reward  and  glory,  both  shall  be  yours.  I 
have  followed  her  across  the  channel,  Ducroix.  I  know 
where  she  is  to  be  found  for  a  certainty.  She  is  at  the  Inn 
of  the  Seven  Sinners.  Just  take  me  there  and  I'll  turn  the 
Jezebel  over  to  you." 

Ducroix  needed  no  urging.  The  prospect  of  such  a  cap- 
ture made  him  fairly  beside  himself  with  delight.  In 
twenty  swift  words  he  translated  this  glorious  news  to  his 
men  —  setting  them  as  wild  with  excitement  as  he  was  him- 
self—  then  with  a  sharp,  "Come,  m'siear!"  he  turned 
on  his  heel  and  led  the  breathless  race  for  the  goal. 

Halfway  down  the  narrow,  ink-black  street  that  led  to 
the  inn  they  encountered  Dollops  pelting  back  at  full  speed. 

"Come  on,  guv'ner,  come  on,  all  of  you!"  he  broke  out 
as  he  came  abreast  of  them.  "  She's  there  —  they're  all 
there  —  kickin'  up  Meg's  diversions,  sir,  and  singin'  and 
dancin'  like  mad.  And,  sir,  he's  there,  too  —  the  pedler 
chap !  I  see  him  come  up  and  sneak  in  with  the  rest.  Come 
on!     This  way,  all  of  you." 

If  they  had  merely  run  before,  they  all  but  flew  now;  for 


30  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

this  second  assurance  that  Margot,  the  great  and  long- 
so  ugh  t-f  or  Margot,  was  actually  within  their  reach  served 
to  spur  every  man  to  outdo  himself;  so  that  it  was  but  a 
minute  or  two  later  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  inn  and 
bore  down  upon  it  in  a  solid  phalanx.  And  then  —  just 
then  —  when  another  minute  would  have  settled  everything 
—  the  demon  of  mischance  chose  to  play  them  a  scurvv 
trick. 

All  they  knew  of  it  was  that  an  Apache  coming  out  of  the 
building  for  some  purpose  of  his  own  looked  up  and  saw 
them,  then  faced  round  and  bent  back  in  the  doorway;  that 
of  a  sudden  a  very  tornado  of  music  and  laughter  and  sing- 
ing and  dancing  rolled  out  into  the  night,  and  that  when  they 
came  pounding  up  to  the  doorway,  the  fellow  was  lounging 
there  serenely  smoking;  and,  inside,  his  colleagues  were 
holding  a  revel  wild  enough  to  wake  the  dead. 

In  the  winking  of  an  eye  he  was  carried  off  his  feet  and 
swept  on  by  this  sudden  inrush  of  the  law;  the  door  clashed 
open,  the  little  slatted  barrier  beyond  was  knocked  aside, 
and  the  police  were  pouring  into  the  room  and  running  head- 
long into  a  spinning  mass  of  wild  dancers. 

The  band  ceased  suddenly  as  they  appeared,  the  dancers 
cried  out  as  if  in  a  panic  of  alarm,  and  at  Ducroix's  com- 
manding "  Surrender  in  the  name  of  the  Law! "  a  fat  woman 
behind  the  bar  flung  up  her  arms  and  voiced  a  despairing 
shriek. 

''Soul  of  misfortune!  for  what,  m'sieur  —  for  what?" 
she  cried.  ''It  is  no  sin  to  laugh  and  dance.  We  break 
no  law,  my  customers  and  I.  What  is  it  you  want  that  you 
come  in  upon  us  like  this?  " 

Ah,  what  indeed?  Not  anything  that  could  be  seen.  A 
glance  round  the  room  showed  nothing  and  no  one  but  these 
suddenly  disturbed  dancers,  and  of  Margot  and  the  Mau- 
ra vanian  never  a  sign. 

"M'sieur!"  began  Ducroix,  turning  to  Narkom,  whoss* 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  31 

despair  was  only  too  evident,  and  who,  in  company  with 
Dollops,  was  rushing  about  the  place  pushing  people  here 
and  there,  looking  behind  them,  looking  in  all  the  corners, 
and  generally  deporting  themselves  after  the  manner  of  a. 
couple  of  hounds  endeavouring  to  pick  up  a  lost  scent. 
M'sieur,  shall  it  be  an  error,  then?" 

Narkom  did  not  answer.  Of  a  sudden,  however,  he  re- 
membered what  had  been  said  of  the  trap  and,  pushing 
aside  a  group  of  girls  standing  over  it,  found  it  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor. 

''Here  it  is  —  this  is  the  way  she  got  out!"  he  shouted. 
*' Bolted,  by  James!  bolted  on  the  under  side!  Up  with  it, 
up  with  it  —  the  Jezebel  got  out  this  way."  But  though 
Ducroix  and  Dollops  aided  him,  and  they  pulled  and  tugged 
and  tugged  and  pulled,  they  could  not  budge  it  one  inch. 

''M'sieur,  no  —  what  madness!  He  is  not  a  trap  —  no, 
he  is  not  a  trap  at  all!"  protested  old  Marise.  "It  is  but  a 
square  where  the  floor  broke  and  was  mended !  Mother  of 
misfortune,  it  is  nothing  but  that." 

What  response  Narkom  might  have  made  was  checked 
by  a  sudden  discovery.  Huddling  in  a  corner,  feigning  a 
drunken  sleep,  he  saw  a  man  lying  with  his  face  hidden  in 
his  folded  arms.  It  was  the  pedler.  He  pounced  on  the 
man  and  jerked  up  his  head  before  the  fellow  could  prevent 
it  or  could  dream  of  what  was  about  to  happen. 

"Here's  one  of  them  at  least!"  he  cried,  and  fell  to  shak- 
ing him  with  all  his  force.  "Here's  one  of  Margot's  pals, 
Ducroix.     You  shan't  go  empty-handed  after  all." 

A  cry  of  consternation  fluttered  through  the  gathering: 
as  he  brought  the  man's  face  into  view.  Evidently  they 
were  past  masters  of  the  art  of  acting,  these  Apaches,  for 
one  might  have  sworn  that  every  man  and  every  woman  of 
them  was  taken  aback  by  the  fellow's  presence. 

"Mother  of  Miracles!  who  shall  the  man  be?"  exclaimed 
Marise.     "Messieurs,  I  know  him  not.     I  have  not  seen. 


32  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

him  in  all  my  life  before.  Cochon,  speak  up!  Who  are 
you,  that  you  come  in  Hke  this  and  get  a  respectable  widow 
in  trouble,  dog?     Eh?" 

The  man  made  a  motion  first  to  his  ears,  then  to  his 
mouth,  then  fell  to  making  movements  in  the  sign  lan- 
guage, but  spoke  never  a  word. 

''La,  la!  he  is  a  deaf  mute,  m'sieur,"  said  Ducroix.  *'He 
hears  not  and  speaks  not,  poor  unfortunate." 

''Oh,  doesn't  he?"  said  Narkom  with  an  ugly  laugh. 
''He  spoke  well  enough  a  couple  of  hours  back,  I  promise 
3^ou.  My  young  friend  here  and  I  heard  him  when  he  paid 
off  the  fisherman  who  had  carried  him  over  to  Dover  just 
before  he  sneaked  aboard  the  packet  to  come  back  with 
Margot  and  the  Mauravanian." 

The  eyes  of  the  Apaches  flew  to  the  man's  face  with  a 
sudden  keen  interest  which  only  they  might  understand; 
but  he  still  stood,  wagging  his  great  head  either  drunkenly 
or  idiotically,  and  pointing  to  ears  and  mouth. 

"Lay  hold  of  him  —  run  him  in!"  said  Narkom,  whirl- 
ing him  across  into  the  arms  of  a  couple  of  stalwart  Ser- 
geants de  Ville.  "I'll  go  before  the  magistrate  and  lay  a 
charge  against  him  in  the  morning  that  will  open  your  eyes 
when  you  hear  it.  One  of  a  bloodthirsty,  dynamiting  crew, 
the  dog!  Lay  fast  hold  of  him!  don't  let  him  get  away  on 
your  lives!  God!  to  have  lost  that  woman!  to  have  lost 
her  after  all!" 

It  was  a  sore  blow,  certainly,  but  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  grin  and  bear  it;  for  to  seek  Margot  at  any  of  the 
inns  which  might  communicate  with  the  sewer  trap,  or  to 
hunt  for  her  and  a  motor  boat  on  the  dark  water's  surface, 
was  in  very  truth  Hke  looking  for  a  needle  in  a  haystack, 
and  quite  as  hopeless.  He  therefore,  decided  to  go,  for  the 
rest  of  the  night,  to  the  nearest  hotel;  and  waiting  only  to 
see  the  pedler  carried  away  in  safe  custody,  and  promising 
to  be  on  hand  when  he  was  brought  up  before  the  locai 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  33 

magistrate  in  the  morning,  took  Dollops  by  the  arm  and 
dejectedly  went  his  way. 

The  morning  saw  him  living  up  to  his  promise;  and  long^ 
before  the  arrival  of  the  magistrate  or,  indeed,  before  the 
night's  harvest  of  prisoners  was  brought  over  from  the 
lockup  and  thrust  into  the  three  little  "detention  rooms'' 
below  the  court,  he  was  there  with  Dollops  and  Ducroix, 
observing  with  wonder  that  groups  of  evil-looking  fellows 
of  the  Apache  breed  were  hanging  round  the  building  as 
he  approached,  and  that  later  on  others  of  the  same  kidney 
slipped  in  and  took  seats  in  the  Kttle  courtroom  and  kept 
constantly  whispering  one  to  the  other  while  they  waited 
for  the  morning  session  to  begin. 

^'Gawd's  truth,  guv'ner,  look  at  'em  —  the  'ole  blessed 
place  is  alive  with  the  bounders,"  whispered  Dollops.  *'Wot 
do  you  think  they  are  up  to,  sir?  Makin'  a  rush  and  settin' 
the  pedler  free  when  he  comes  up  before  the  Beak?  There's, 
twenty  of  'em  waitin'  round  the  door  if  there's  one." 

Narkom  made  no  reply.  The  arrival  of  the  magistrate 
^ocussed  all  eyes  on  the  bench  and  riveted  his  attention  with 
the  rest. 

The  proceedings  opened  with  all  the  trivial  cases  first  — 
the  night's  sweep  of  the  dragnet:  drunks  and  disorderlies, 
vagrants  and  pariahs.  One  by  one  these  were  brought  in 
and  paid  their  fines  and  went  their  way,  unheeded;  for  this 
part  of  the  morning's  proceedings  interested  nobody,  not 
even  the  Apaches.  The  list  was  dragged  through  monot- 
onously; the  last  blear-eyed  sot  —  a  hideous,  cadaverous, 
monkey-faced  wretch  whose  brutal  countenance  sickened 
Narkom  when  he  shambled  up  in  his  filthy  rags  —  had  paid 
his  fine,  and  gone  his  way,  and  there  remained  now  but  a 
case  of  attempted  suicide  to  be  disposed  of  before  the  serious 
cases  began.  This  latter  occupied  the  magistrate's  time 
and  attention  for  perhaps  twenty  minutes  or  so,  then  that^, 


34  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

too,  was  disposed  of;  and  then  a  voice  was  heard  calling  out 
for  the  unknown  man  arrested  last  night  at  the  Inn  of  the 
Seven  Sinners  to  be  brought  forward. 

In  an  instant  a  ripple  of  excitement  ran  through  the  little 
court.  The  Apache  fraternity  sat  up  within  and  passed  the 
word  to  the  Apache  fraternity  without,  and  these  stood  at 
attention  —  close-Hpped,  dark-browed,  eager,  like  human 
tigers  waiting  for  the  word  to  spring.  Every  eye  was  fixed 
on  the  door  through  which  that  pretended  mute  should  be 
led  in;  but  although  others  had  come  at  the  first  call,  he 
came  not  even  at  the  second,  and  the  magistrate  had  just 
issued  an  impatient  command  for  the  case  to  be  called  yet 
a  third  time,  when  there  was  a  clatter  of  hasty  footsteps  and 
the  keeper  of  the  detention  rooms  burst  into  the  court  pale 
as  a  dead  man  and  shaking  in  every  nerve. 

^'M'sieur  le  Juge!"  he  cried  out,  extending  his  two  arms. 
''Soul  of  Misfortunes,  how  shall  I  tell?  He  is  not  there — 
he  is  gone  —  he  is  escape,  that  unknown  one.  When  I 
shall  unlock  the  room  and  call  for  Jean  Lamareau,  the 
drunkard,  at  the  case  before  the  last,  there  shall  come  out  of 
the  dimness  to  me  what  I  shall  think  is  he  and  I  shall  bring 
him  here  and  he  shall  be  fine  and  dismissed.  But,  m'sieur, 
he  shall  not  be  Jean  Lamareau  after  all !  I  shall  go  now  and 
call  for  the  unknown  and  I  shall  get  no  answer;  I  shall  go 
in  and  make  of  the  place  light,  and  there  he  shall  be,  that 
real  Jean  Lamareau  —  stripped  of  his  clothes,  choked  to 
unconsciousness,  alone  on  the  floor,  and  the  other  shall 
have  paid  his  fine  and  gone ! " 

A  great  cry  went  up,  a  wild  confusion  filled  the  court. 
The  Apaches  within  rose  and  ran  with  the  news  to  the 
Apaches  without;  and  these,  joining  forces,  scattered  and 
ran  through  the  streets  in  the  direction  the  escaped  prisoner 
had  been  seen  to  take. 

But  through  it  all  Narkom  sat  there  squeezing  his  hands 
together  and  laughing  in  little  shaking  gusts  that  had  a 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  35 

heart  throb  wavering  through  them;  for  to  him  this  could 
mean  but  one  thing. 

''Cleekl"  he  said,  leaning  down  and  shrilling  a  joyous 
whisper  into  Dollops'  ear.  ''But  one  man  in  all  the  world 
could  have  done  that  thing  —  but  one  man  in  all  the  w^orld 
would  have  dared.  It  was  he  —  it  was  Cleek!  God  bless 
his  bully  soul!" 

''Amen,  sir,"  said  Dollops,  swallowing  something;  then 
he  rose  at  Narkom's  bidding  and  followed  him  outside. 

A  minute  later  a  gamin  brushing  against  them  put  out  a 
grimy  hand  and  said  whiningly. 

"Boulogne,  messieurs.  Quai  des  Anges.  Third  house 
back  from  the  waterside;  in  time  for  the  noon  boat  across 
to  Folkestone.  Give  me  two  francs,  please.  The  monsieur 
said  you  would  if  I  said  that  to  you  when  you  came  out." 

The  two  francs  were  in  his  hand  almost  as  he  ceased  speak- 
ing, and  in  less  than  a  minute  later  a  fiacre  was  whirling 
Narkom  and  Dollops  off  to  the  railway  station  and  the  next 
outgoing  train  to  Boulogne.  It  was  still  short  of  midday 
when  they  arrived  at  the  Quai  des  Anges  and  made  their 
way  to  the  third  house  back  from  the  waterside  —  a  little 
tavern  with  a  toy  garden  in  front  and  a  sort  of  bowered 
arcade  behind  —  and  there  under  an  almond  tree,  with  a 
cigarette  between  his  fingers  and  a  bunch  of  flowers  in  his 
buttonhole,  they  came  upon  him  at  last. 

"Guv'ner!  Oh,  Gawd  bless  you,  guv'ner,  is  it  really 
you  again?"  said  Dollops,  rushing  up  to  him  like  a  girl  to  a 
lover. 

"Yes,  it  is  really  I,"  he  answered  with  one  of  his  easy 
laughs.  Then  he  rose  and  held  out  his  hand  as  Narkom 
advanced;  and  for  a  moment  or  two  they  stood  there  palm 
in  palm,  saying  not  one  word,  making  not  one  sound. 

"Nearly  did  for  me,  my  overzealous  friend,"  said  Cleek, 
after  a  time.  "I  coiild  have  kicked  you  when  you  turned 
up  with  that  lot  at  the  Seven  Sinners.    Another  ten  minutes 


S6  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

and  I'd  have  had  that  in  my  hands  which  would  have  com- 
pelled his  Majesty  of  Mauravania  to  give  Irma  his  liberty 
and  to  abdicate  in  his  consort's  favour.  But  you  came, 
you  dear  old  blunderer ;  and  when  I  looked  up  and  recognized 
you  —  well,  let  it  pass  I  I  was  on  my  way  back  to  London 
when  I  chanced  to  see  Count  Waldemar  on  watch  beside 
the  gangway  of  the  Calais  packet  —  he  had  slipped  me,  the 
hound,  slipped  me  in  Paris  —  and  I  saw  my  chance  to  run 
him  down.  Gad!  it  was  a  close  squeak  that,  when  you  let 
those  Apaches  know  that  I  had  just  crossed  over  from  this 
side  and  had  gone  aboard  the  packet  because  I  saw  Walde- 
mar. They  guessed  then.  I  couldn't  speak  there,  and  I 
dared  not  speak  in  the  court.  They  were  there,  on  every 
hand  —  inside  the  building  and  out  —  waiting  to  knife  me 
the  instant  they  were  sure.  I  had  to  get  out  —  I  had  to 
get  past  them,  and  —  voila.'^ 

He  turned  and  laid  an  affectionate  hand  on  Dollops' 
shoulder  and  laughed  softly  and  pleasantly. 

"New  place  all  right,  old  chap?  Garden  doing  well,  and 
all  my  traps  in  shipshape  order,  eh?" 

"Yes,  sir,  Gawd  bless  you,  sir.  Everything,  sir,  every- 
thing." 

"Good  lad!  Then  we'll  be  off  to  them.  My  holiday  is 
over,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  I'm  going  back  into  harness  again. 
You  want  me,  I  see,  and  I  said  I'd  come  if  you  did.  Give 
me  a  few  days'  rest  in  old  England,  dear  friend,  and  then 
—  out  with  your  riddles  and  I'm  your  man  again." 


CHAPTER  I 

*  ^^T^HIS  will  be  it,  I  think,  sir,"  said  Lennard,  bringing  the 
A  limousine  to  a  halt  at  the  head  of  a  branching  lane, 
thick  set  with  lime  and  chestnut  trees  between  whose  dou- 
ble wall  of  green  one  could  catch  a  distant  glimpse  of  the 
river,  shining  golden  in  the  five  o'clock  light. 

*'Look!  see!  There's  the  sign  post  —  *To  the  Sleeping 
Mermaid'  —  over  to  the  left  there." 

^'Anything  pinned  to  it  or  hanging  on  it?"  Mr.  Narkom 
spoke  from  the  interior  of  the  vehicle  without  making  even 
the  slightest  movement  toward  alighting,  merely  glancing  ' 
at  a  few  memoranda  scribbled  on  the  back  of  a  card  whose 
reverse  bore  the  words  '^Taverne  Maladosie  Quai  des  Anges, 
Boulogne,"  printed  upon  it  in  rather  ornate  script. 

*'A  bit  of  rag,  a  scrap  of  newspaper,  a  fowl's  feather  — 
anything?     Look  sharp  1" 

"No,  sir,  not  a  thing  of  any  sort  that  I  can  see  from  here. 
Shall  I  nip  over  and  make  sure?  " 

"Yes.  Only  don't  give  away  the  fact  that  you  are  ex- 
amining it  in  case  there  should  be  anybody  on  the  look- 
out. If  you  find  the  smallest  thing  —  even  a  carpet  tack 
—  attached  to  the  post,  get  back  into  your  seat  at  once 
and  cut  off  townward  as  fast  as  you  can  make  the  car 
travel." 

"Right  you  are,  sir,"  said  Lennard,  and  forthwith  did 
as  he  had  been  bidden.  In  less  than  ninety  seconds,  how- 
ever, he  was  back  with  word  that  the  post's  surface  was  as 
smooth  as  your  hand  and  not  a  thing  of  any  sort  attached 
to  it  from  top  to  bottom. 

37 


38  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Narkom  fetched  a  deep  breath  of  relief  at  this  news, 
tucked  the  card  into  his  pocket,  and  got  out  immediately. 

"Hang  round  the  neighbourhood  somewhere  and  keep 
your  ears  open  in  case  I  should  have  to  give  the  signal  sooner 
than  I  anticipate,"  he  said;  then  twisted  round  on  his  heel, 
turned  into  the  tree-bordered  lane,  and  bore  do\\Ti  in  the 
direction  of  the  river. 

When  still  short,  by  thirty  yards  or  so,  of  its  flowered 
and  willow-fringed  brim,  he  came  upon  a  quaint  little  dia- 
mond-paned,  red-roofed,  low-eaved  house  set  far  back  from 
the  shore,  with  a  garden  full  of  violets  and  primroses  and 
flaunting  crocuses  in  front  of  it,  and  a  tangle  of  blossoming 
things  crowding  what  once  had  been  a  bower-bordered  bowl- 
ing green  in  the  rear. 

"Queen  Anne,  for  a  ducat!"  he  commented  as  he  looked 
at  the  place  and  took  in  every  detail  from  the  magpie  in  the 
old  pointed-topped  wicker  cage  hanging  from  a  nail  beside 
the  doorway  to  the  rudely  carved  figure  of  a  mermaid  over 
the  jutting,  flower-filled  diamond-paned  w^indow  of  the  bar 
parlour  with  its  swinging  sashes  and  its  oak-beam  sill, 
shoulder  high  from  the  green,  sweet-smelling  earth. 

"How  the  dickens  does  he  ferret  out  these  places,  I  won- 
der? And  what  fool  has  put  his  money  into  a  show  hke 
this  in  these  days  of  advancement  and  enterprise?  Buried 
away  from  the  fine  of  trafiic  ashore  and  shut  in  by  trees 
from  the  river.  Gad!  they  can't  do  a  pound's  worth  of 
business  in  a  month  at  an  out-of-the-way  roost  like  this ! " 

Certainly,  they  were  not  doing  much  of  it  that  day;  for, 
as  he  passed  through  the  taproom,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
landlady  dozing  in  a  deep  chair  by  the  window,  and  of  the 
back  of  a  by-no-means-smartly-dressed  barmaid  —  who 
might  have  been  stone  deaf  for  all  notice  she  took  of  his 
entrance  —  standing  on  a  stool  behind  the  bar  dusting  and 
poHshing  the  woodwork  of  the  shelves.  The  door  of  the 
bar  parlour  was  open,  and  through  it  Narkom  caught  a 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  39 

glimpse  of  a  bent-kneed,  stoop-shouldered,  doddering  old 
man  shuffling  about,  filling  match-boxes,  wiping  ash  trays, 
and  carefully  refolding  the  rumpled  newspapers  that  lay 
on  the  centre  table.  That  he  was  not  the  proprietor,  merely 
a  waiter,  the  towel  over  his  arm,  the  shabby  old  dress  coat, 
the  baggy-kneed  trousers  would  have  been  evidence  enough 
without  that  added  by  the  humble  tasks  he  was  performing. 

"Poor  devil!  And  at  his  age!"  said  Narkom  to  himself, 
as  he  noted  the  pale,  hopeless-looking,  time-worn  face  and 
the  shuffling,  time-bent  body;  then,  moved  by  a  sense  of 
keen  pity,  he  walked  into  the  room  and  spoke  gently  to  him. 

"Tea  for  two,  uncle  —  at  a  quarter-past  five  to  the  tick 
if  you  can  manage  it,"  he  said,  tossing  the  old  man  a  shil- 
ling. "And  say  to  the  landlady  that  I'd  like  to  have  ex- 
clusive use  of  this  room  for  an  hour  or  two,  so  she  can  charge 
the  loss  to  my  account  if  she  has  to  turn  any  other  cus- 
tomers away." 

"Thanky,  sir.  I'll  attend  to  it  at  once,  sir,"  replied  the 
old  fellow,  pocketing  the  coin,  and  moving  briskly  away  to 
give  the  order.  In  another  minute  he  was  back  again,  lay- 
ing the  cloth  and  setting  out  the  dishes,  while  Narkom  im- 
proved the  time  of  waiting  by  straying  round  the  room  and 
looking  at  the  old  prints  and  cases  of  stuffed  fishes  that 
hung  on  the  oak-panelled  walls. 

It  still  wanted  a  minute  or  so  of  being  a  quarter-past  five 
when  the  old  man  bore  in  the  tea  tray  itself  and  set  it  upon 
the  waiting  table;  and,  little  custom  though  the  place  en- 
joyed, Narkom  could  not  but  compliment  it  upon  its  prompt- 
ness and  the  inviting  quahty  of  the  viands  served. 

"You  may  go,"  he  said  to  the  waiter,  when  the  man  at 
length  bowed  low  and  announced  that  all  was  ready;  then, 
after  a  moment,  turning  round  and  finding  him  still  shuf- 
fling about,  "I  say  you  may  go!"  he  reiterated,  a  trifle 
sharply.  "No,  don't  take  the  cosy  off  the  teapot  —  leave  it 
as  it  is.    The  gentleman  I  am  expecting  has  not  arrived 


40  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

yet,  and  —  look  here !  will  you  have  the  goodness  to  let  that 
cosy  alone  and  to  clear  out  when  I  tell  you?  By  James! 
if  you  don't Hullo!     What  the  dickens  was  that?" 

"That"  was  undoubtedly  the  tingle  of  a  handful  of  gravel 
against  the  panes  of  the  window. 

'^A  sign  that  the  coast  is  quite  clear  and  that  you  have  not 
been  followed,  dear  friend,"  said  a  voice  —  Cleek's  voice  — 
in  reply.  ''Shall  we  not  sit  down?  I'm  famishing."  And 
as  Narkom  turned  round  on  his  heel  —  with  the  certainty 
that  no  one  had  entered  the  room  since  the  door  was  closed 
and  he  himself  before  it — the  tea  cosy  was  whipped  off  by  a 
hand  that  no  longer  shook,  the  waiter's  bent  figure  straight- 
ened, his  pale,  drawn  features  writhed,  blent,  settled  into 
placid  calmness  and  —  the  thing  was  done ! 

''By  all  that's  wonderful  —  Cleek ! "  blurted  out  Nar- 
kom, delightedly,  and  lurched  toward  him. 

"Sh-h-h!  Gently,  gently,  my  friend,"  he  interposed, 
putting  up  a  warning  hand.  "It  is  true  Dollops  has  sig- 
nalled that  there  is  no  one  in  the  vicinity  likely  to  hear,  but 
although  the  maid  is  both  deaf  and  dumb,  recollect  that 
Mrs.  Condiment  is  neither;  and  I  have  no  more  wish  for 
her  to  discover  my  real  calling  than  I  ever  had." 

"Mrs.  Condiment?"  repeated  Narkom,  sinking  his  voice, 
and  speaking  in  a  tone  of  agitation  and  amazement.  "You 
don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  the  old  woman  you  employed  as 
housekeeper  when  you  Uved  in  Clarges  Street  is  here?  " 

"Certainly;  she  is  the  landlady.  Her  assistant  is  that 
same  deaf  and  dumb  maid-of -all- work  who  worked  with  her 
at  the  old  house,  and  is  sharing  with  her  a  sort  of  'retire- 
ment' here.  'Captain  Burbage'  set  the  pair  of  them 
up  in  business  here  two  days  after  his  departure  from 
Clarges  Street  and  pays  them  a  monthly  wage  sujSicient 
to  make  up  for  any  lack  of  'custom.'  All  that  they 
are  bound  to  do  is  to  allow  a  pensioner  of  the  captain's 
—  a  poor   old  half-witted   ex-waiter   called  Joseph  —  to 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  41 

come  and  go  as  he  will  and  to  gratify  a  whim  for  waiting 
upon  people  if  he  chooses  to  do  so.  What's  that?  No, 
the  'captain'  does  not  live  here.  He  and  his  henchman, 
Dollops,  are  supposed  to  be  out  of  the  country.  Mrs. 
Condiment  does  not  know  where  he  lives  —  nor  will  she 
ever  be  permitted  to  do  so.  You  may,  some  day,  per- 
haps  that  is  for   the   future   to  decide;  but  not  at 

present,  my  dear  friend;  it  is  too  risky." 

''Why  risky,  old  chap?  Surely  I  can  come  and  go  in 
disguise  as  I  did  in  the  old  days,  Cleek?  We  managed 
secret  visits  all  right  then,  remember." 

''Yes  —  I  know.  But  things  have  changed,  Mr.  Nar- 
kom.  You  may  disguise  yourself  as  cleverly  as  you  please, 
but  you  can't  disguise  the  red  limousine.  It  is  known  and 
it  will  be  followed;  so,  until  you  can  get  another  of  a  totally 
different  colour  and  appearance  I'll  ring  you  up  each  morn- 
ing at  the  Yard  and  we  can  make  our  appointments  over 
your  private  wire.  For  the  present  we  must  take  no  great 
risks.  In  the  days  that  lie  behind,  dear  friend,  I  had  no 
'tracker'  to  guard  against  but  Margot,  no  enemies  but  her 
paltry  crew  to  reckon  with  and  to  outwit.  In  these,  I  have 
many.  They  have  brains,  these  new  foes;  they  are  rich, 
they  are  desperate,  they  are  powerful;  and  behind  them 

is  the  implacable  hate  and  the  malignant  hand  of 

No  matter!     You  wouldn't  understand." 

"I  can  make  a  devilish  good  guess,  then,"  rapped  in 
Narkom,  a  trifle  testily,  his  vanity  a  little  hurt  by 
that  final  suggestion,  and  his  mind  harking  back  to 
the  brief  enlightening  conversation  between  Margot  and 
Count  Waldemar  that  night  on  the  spray-swept  deck  of  the 
Channel  packet.  "Behind  them  is  'the  implacable  hate 
and  the  m.alignant  hand'  of  the  King  of  Mauravania!" 

"What  utter  rubbish!"  Cleek's  jeering  laughter  fairly 
stung,  it  was  so  full  of  pitying  derision.  "My  friend,  have 
you  taken  to  reading  penny  novelettes  of  late?    A  thief* 


42  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

taker  and  a  monarch !  An  ex-criminal  and  a  king !  I  should 
have  given  you  credit  for  more  common  sense." 

"It  was  the  King  of  Mauravania's  equerry  who  directed 
that  attempt  to  kill  you  by  blowing  up  the  house  in  Clarges 
Street." 

"Very  possibly.  But  that  does  not  incriminate  his  royal 
master.  Count  Waldemar  is  not  only  equerr}^  to  King 
Ulric  of  Mauravania,  but  is  also  nephew  to  its  ex-Prime 
Minister  —  the  gentleman  who  is  doing  fifteen  years'  ener- 
getic labour  for  the  British  Government  as  a  result  of  that 
attempt  to  trap  me  with  his  witless  'Silver  Snare.'  " 

"Ohl"  said  Narkom,  considerably  crestfallen;  then 
grasped  at  yet  another  straw  with  sudden,  breathless  eager- 
ness. "But  even  then  the  head  of  the  Mauravanian  Govern- 
ment must  have  had  some  reason  for  wishing  to  'wipe  you 
out/  "  he  added,  earnestly.  "There  could  be  no  question 
of  avenging  an  uncle's  overthrow^  at  that  tim.e.  Cleek!"  — 
his  voice  running  thin  and  eager,  his  hand  shutting  suddenly 
upon  his  famous  ally's  arm  —  "Cleek,  trust  me!  Won't 
you?  Can't  you?  As  God  hears  me,  old  chap,  I'll  re- 
spect it.     Who  are  you?     What  are  you,  man?  " 

"Cleek,"  he  made  answer,  calmly  drawing  out  a  chair 
and  taking  his  seat  at  the  table.  "  Cleek  of  Scotland  A^ard; 
Cleek  of  the  Forty  Faces — which  you  will.  Who  should 
know  that  better  than  you  whose  helping  hand  has  made 
me  what  I  am?" 

"Yes,  but  before,  Cleek?  What  were  you,  who  were  you, 
in  the  days  before?  " 

"The  Vanishing  Cracksman  —  a  dog  who  would  have 
gone  on,  no  doubt,  to  a  dog's  end  but  for  your  kind  hand 
and  the  dear  eyes  of  Ailsa  Lome.  Now  give  me  my  tea  — 
I'm  famishing  —  and  after  that  we'll  talk  of  this  new  riddle 
that  needs  unriddling  for  the  honour  of  the  Yard.  Yes, 
thanks,  two  lumps,  and  just  a  mere  dash  of  milk.  Gad! 
It's  good  to  be  back  in  England,  dear  friend;  it's  good,  it's 
goodl" 


CHAPTER  II 

'*17^IVE  men,  eh?"  said  Cleek,  glancing  up  at  Mr.  Nar- 

^  kom,  who  for  tv/o  or  three  minutes  past  had  been 
giving  him  a  sketchy  outhne  of  the  case  in  hand.  "A 
goodish  many  that.  And  all  inside  of  the  past  six  weeks, 
you  say?  No  wonder  the  papers  have  been  hammering  the 
Yard,  if,  as  you  suggest,  they  were  not  accidental  deaths. 
Sure  they  are  not?  " 

"As  sure  as  I  am  that  I'm  speaking  to  you  at  this  minute. 
I  had  my  doubts  in  the  beginning  —  there  seemed  so  little 
to  connect  the  separate  tragedies  —  but  when  case  after 
case  followed  with  exactly,  or  nearly  exactly,  the  same 
details  in  every  instance,  one  simply  had  to  suspect  foul 
play." 

"Naturally.  Even  a  donkey  must  know  that  there's 
food  about  if  he  smells  thistles.  Begin  at  the  beginning, 
T^lease.     How  did  the  affair  start?     When  and  where?" 

"In  the  neighbourhood  of  Hampstead  Heath  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  constable  on  duty  in  the  dis- 
trict came  upon  a  man  clad  only  in  pajamas  lying  face 
downward  under  the  wall  surrounding  a  corner  house  — 
still  warm  but  as  dead  as  Queen  Anne." 

"In  his  pajamas,  eh?"  said  Cleek,  reaching  for  a  fresh 
slice  of  toast.  "Pretty  clear  evidence  that  that  poor  beg- 
gar's trouble,  whatever  it  was,  must  have  overtaken  him  in 
bed  and  that  that  bed  was  either  in  the  vicinity  of  the  spot 
where  he  was  found,  or  else  the  man  had  been  carried  in  a 
closed  vehicle  to  the  place  where  the  constable  discovered 
him.    A  chap  can't  walk  far  in  that  kind  of  a  get-up  with- 

43 


44  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

out  attracting  attention.  And  the  body  was  warm,  you 
say,  when  found.  Hum-m!  Any  vehicle  seen  or  heard  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  spot  just  previously?  " 

''Not  the  ghost  of  one.  The  night  was  very  still,  and  the 
constable  must  have  heard  if  either  cab,  auto,  carriage,  or 
dray  had  passed  in  any  direction  v/hatsoever.  He  is  posi- 
tive that  none  did.  Naturally,  he  thought,  as  you  sug- 
gested just  now,  that  the  man  must  have  come  from 
some  house  in  the  neighbourhood.  Investigation,  however, 
proved  that  he  did  not  —  in  short,  that  nobody  could  be 
found  who  had  ever  seen  him  before.  Indeed,  it  is  hardly 
likely  that  he  could  have  been  sleeping  in  any  of  the  sur- 
rounding houses,  for  the  neighbourhood  is  a  very  good  one, 
and  the  man  had  the  appearance  of  being  a  person  of  the 
labouring  class." 

"Any  marks  on  the  clothing  or  body?" 

"Not  one  —  beyond  a  tattooed  heart  on  the  left  fore- 
arm, which  caused  the  coroner  to  come  to  the  conclusion 
later  that  the  man  had  at  some  time  been  either  a  soldier 
or  a  sailor." 

"Why?" 

"The  tattooing  was  evidently  of  foreign  origin,  he  said, 
from  the  skilful  manner  in  which  it  had  been  perfomied  and 
the  briUiant  colour  of  the  pigments  used.  Beyond  that, 
the  body  bore  no  blemish.  The  man  had  not  been  stabbed, 
he  had  not  been  shot,  and  a  post-mortem  examination  of  the 
viscera  proved  conclusively  that  he  had  not  been  poisoned. 
Neither  had  he  been  strangled,  etherized,  drowned,  or  blud- 
geoned, for  the  brain  was  in  no  way  injured  and  the  lungs  were 
in  a  healthy  condition.  It  was  noticed,  however,  that  the 
passages  of  the  throat  and  nose  were  unduly  red,  and  that 
there  was  a  shghtly  distended  condition  of  the  bowels. 
This  latter,  however,  was  set  down  by  the  physicians  as 
the  natural  condition  following  enteric,  from  which  it  was 
positive  that  the  man  had  recently  suffered.    They  at- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  45 

tributed  the  slightly  inflamed  condition  of  the  nasal  pass- 
age and  throat  to  his  having  either  swallowed  or  snufl'ed  up 
something  —  camphor  or  something  of  that  sort  —  to 
allay  the  progress  of  the  enteric,  although  even  by  analysis 
they  were  unable  to  discover  a  trace  of  camphor  or  indeed 
of  any  foreign  substance  whatsoever.  The  body  was  held 
in  the  public  mortuary  for  several  days  awaiting  identifica- 
tion, but  nobody  came  forward  to  claim  it;  so  it  was  even- 
tually buried  in  the  usual  way  and  a  verdict  of  'Found 
Dead'  entered  in  the  archives  against  the  number  given  to 
it.  The  matter  had  excited  but  little  comment  on  the  part 
of  the  public  or  the  newspapers,  and  would  never  have  beea 
recalled  but  for  the  astonishing  fact  that  just  two  nights 
after  the  burial  a  second  man  was  found  under  precisely 
similar  circumstances  —  only  that  this  second  man  was 
dad  in  boots,  undervest,  and  trousers.  He  was  found  in 
a  sort  of  gulley  (down  which,  from  the  marks  on  the  side,  he 
had  evidently  fallen),  behind  some  furze  bushes  at  a  far 
and  Httle  frequented  part  of  the  heath.  An  autopsy 
established  the  fact  that  this  man  had  died  in  a  precisely 
similar  manner  to  the  first,  but,  what  was  more  starthng, 
that  he  had  evidently  pre-deceased  that  first  victim  by 
several  days;  for,  when  found,  decomposition  had  already 
set  in." 

^'Hum-m-m!  I  see!"  said  Cleek,  arching  fiis  brows  and 
stirring  his  tea  rather  slowly.  ''A  clear  case  of  what  Paddy 
would  term  'the  second  fellow  being  the  first  one.'  Go  on, 
please.     What  next?" 

*'0h,  a  perfect  fever  of  excitement,  of  course;  for  it  now 
became  evident  that  a  crime  had  been  committed  in  both 
instances;  and  the  Press  made  a  great  to-do  over  it.  With- 
in the  course  of  the  next  fortnight  it  was  positively  froth- 
ing, throwing  panic  into  the  pubhc  mind  by  the  wholesale, 
and  whipping  up  people's  fears  hke  a  madman  stirring  a 
salad;  for,  by  that  time  a  third  body  had  been  found  — 


46  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

under  some  furze  bushes,  upward  of  half  a  mile  distant 
from  where  the  second  had  been  discovered.  Like  the  first 
body,  this  one  was  wearing  night  clothes;  but  it  was  in  an 
even  more  advanced  state  of  decomposition  than  the  sec- 
ond, showing  that  the  man  must  have  died  long  before 
either  of  them!" 

^'Ohol"  said  Cleek,  with  a  strong  rising  inflection. 
*'What  a  blundering  idiot!  Our  assassin  is  evidently  a  raw 
hand  at  the  game,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  not,  as  I  had  begun  to 
fancy,  either  a  professional  or  the  appointed  agent  of  som.e 
secret  society  following  a  process  of  extermination  against 
certain  marked  men.  Neither  the  secret  agent  nor  the 
professional  bandit  would  be  guilty  of  the  extreme  folly  of 
operating  several  times  in  the  same  locaHty,  be  assured; 
and  here  is  this  muddhng  amateur  letting  hunself  be  lulled 
into  a  feehng  of  security  by  the  failure  of  anybody  to  dis- 
cover the  bodies  of  the  first  victims,  and  then  going  at  it 
again  in  the  same  place  and  the  same  way.  For  it  is  fair 
to  assume,  I  daresay,  that  the  fourth  man  was  discovered 
under  precisely  similar  circumstances  to  the  first." 

^'Not  exactly  —  very  like  them,  but  not  exactly  like 
them,  Cleek.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  alive  when 
found.  I  didn't  credit  the  report  when  I  first  heard  it 
(a  newspaper  man  brought  it  to  me),  and  sent  Petrie  to 
investigate  the  truth  of  it." 

*'Why  didn't  you  beheve  the  report?" 

^'Because  it  seemed  so  wildly  improbable.  And,  besides, 
they  had  hatched  up  so  many  yarns,  those  newspaper 
reporters,  since  the  affair  began.  According  to  this  fellow, 
a  tramp,  crossing  the  heath  in  quest  of  a  place  to  sleep,  had 
been  frightened  half  out  of  his  wits  by  hearing  a  voice  which 
he  described  as  being  like  the  voice  of  some  one  stranghng, 
calhng  out  in  the  darkness,  'Sapphires!  Sapphires!'  and  a 
few  mom.ents  later,  when,  as  the  reporter  said,  the  tramp 
told  him,  he  was  scutthng  away  in  a  panic,  he  came  sud- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  47 

denly  upon  the  figure  of  a  man  who  was  dancing  round  and 
round  like  a  whirling  dervish,  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  his 
tongue  hanging  out,  and  the  forefinger  of  each  hand  stuck 
in  his  nostril  as  if " 

^'What's  that?  What's  that?"  Cleek's  voice  flicked 
in  Hke  the  crack  of  a  whip.  " Good  God!  Dancing  round 
in  circles?  His  mouth  open?  His  tongue  hanging  out? 
His  fingers  thrust  into  his  nostrils?  Was  that  what  you 
said?" 

*'Yes.  Why?  Do  you  see  anything  promising  in  that 
fact,  Cleek?     It  seems  to  excite  you." 

*' Never  mind  about  that.  Stick  to  the  subject.  Was 
that  report  found  to  be  correct,  then?" 

*'In  a  measure,  yes.  Only,  of  course,  one  had  to  take 
the  tramp's  assertion  that  the  man  had  been  calHng  out 
'Sapphires'  upon  faith,  for  when  discovered  and  conveyed 
to  the  hospital,  he  was  in  a  comatose  condition  and  beyond 
making  any  sound  at  all.  He  died,  without  recovering 
consciousness,  about  twenty  minutes  after  Petrie's  arrival; 
and,  although  the  doctors  performed  a  post-mortem  imme- 
diately after  the  breath  had  left  his  body,  there  was  not  a 
trace  of  anything  to  be  found  that  differed  in  the  slightest 
from  the  other  cases.  Heart,  brain,  liver,  lungs  —  all  were 
in  a  healthy  condition,  and  beyond  the  reddened  throat 
and  the  signs  of  recent  enteric  there  was  nothing  abnormal." 

''But  his  Kps  —  his  lips,  Mr.  Narkom?  Was  there  a 
smear  of  earth  upon  them?  Was  he  lying  on  his  face  when 
found?  W^ere  his  fingers  clenched  in  the  grass?  Did  it 
look  as  if  he  had  been  biting  the  soil?  " 

"Yes,"  repKed  Narkom.  "  As  a  matter  of  fact  there  was 
both  earth  and  grass  in  the  mouth.  The  doctors  removed 
it  carefully,  examined  it  under  the  microscope,  even  sub- 
jected it  to  chemical  test  in  the  hope  of  discovering  some 
foreign  substance  mixed  with  the  mass,  but  failed  utterly 
to  discover  a  single  trace." 


48  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Of  course,  of  course!  It  would  be  gone  like  a  breath, 
gone  like  a  passing  cloud  if  it  were  that." 

"If  it  were  what?  Cleek,  my  dear  fellow!  Good  Lord! 
you  don't  mean  to  tell  me  you've  got  a  clue?  " 

"Perhaps  —  perhaps  —  don't  worry  me!"  he  made  an- 
swer testily;  then  rose  and  walked  over  to  the  window  and 
stood  there  alone,  pinching  his  chin  between  his  thumb  and 
forefinger  and  staring  fixedly  at  things  beyond.  After  a 
time,  however: 

"Yes,  it  could  be  that  —  assuredly  it  could  be  that,"  he 
said  in  a  low-sunk  voice,  as  if  answering  a  query.  "But 
in  England  —  in  this  far  land.  In  Malay,  yes;  in  Ceylon, 
certainly.  And  sapphires,  too  —  sappliires !  Hum-m-m ! 
They  mine  them  there.  One  man  had  travelled  in  foreign 
parts  and  been  tattooed  by  natives.     So  that  the  selfsame 

country Just  so!    Of  course!     Of  course!     But  who? 

But  how?    And  in  England?  " 

His  voice  dropped  off.  He  stood  for  a  minute  or  so  in 
absolute  silence,  drumming  noiselessly  with  his  finger  tips 
upon  the  wdndow-sill,  then  turned  abruptly  and  spoke  to 
Mr.  Narkom. 

"Go  on  with  the  story,  please,"  he  said.  "There  was  a 
fifth  man,  I  believe.     When  and  how  did  his  end  come?" 

"Like  the  others,  for  the  most  part,  but  with  one  startKng 
difference:  instead  of  being  undressed,  nothing  had  been 
removed  but  his  collar  and  boots.  He  was  killed  on  the 
night  I  started  with  Dollops  for  the  Continent  in  quest  of 
you;  and  his  was  the  second  body  that  was  not  actually 
found  on  the  heath.  Like  the  first  man,  he  was  found 
under  the  wall  which  surrounds  Lemmingham  House." 

"  Lemmingham  House?  What's  that  —  a  hotel  or  a  pri- 
vate residence?" 

"A  private  residence,  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  James 
B  arring  ton-Edwards. ' ' 

"Any  relation  to  that  Captain  Barring  ton-Ed  wards  who 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YAED  49 

was  cashiered  from  the  army  some  twenty  years  ago  for 
*  conduct  unbecoming  an  ofhcer  and  a  gentleman'?" 

"The  same  manl" 

"Oho!  the  same  man,  eh?"  Cleek's  tone  was  full  of 
sudden  interest.  "Stop  a  bit!  Let  me  put  my  thinking 
box  into  operation.  Captain  Barrington-Edwards  —  hum- 
m-m !  That  little  military  unpleasantness  happened  out  in 
Ceylon,  did  it  not?  The  gentleman  had  a  fancy  for  con- 
juring tricks,  I  believe;  even  went  so  far  as  to  study  them 
first  hand  under  the  tutelage  of  native  fakirs,  and  was  sub- 
sequently caught  cheating  at  cards.  That's  the  man, 
isn't  it?" 

"Yes,"  said  Narkom,  "that's  the  man.  I'll  have  some- 
thing startling  to  tell  you  in  connection  with  him  presently, 
but  not  in  connection  with  that  card-cheating  scandal. 
He  always  swore  that  he  was  innocent  of  that.  Li  fact, 
that  it  was  a  put-up  job  by  one  of  the  other  officers  for  the 
sake  of  ruining  him." 

"Yes,  I  know  —  they  all  say  that.  It's  the  only  thing 
they  can  say." 

"  Still,  I  always  believed  him,  Cleek.  He's  been  a  pretty 
straightforward  man  in  all  my  dealings  with  him,  and  I've 
had  several.  Besides  which,  he  is  highly  respected  these 
days.  Then,  too,  there's  the  fact  that  the  fellow  he  said 
put  up  the  job  against  him  for  the  sake  of  blackening  him 
in  the  eyes  of  his  sweetheart,  eventually  married  the  girl, 
so  it  does  look  rather  fishy.  However,  although  it  ruined 
Barrington-Edwards  for  the  time  being,  and  embittered 
him  so  that  he  never  married,  he  certainly  had  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  the  fellow  who  had  caused  this 
trouble  turned  out  an  absolute  rotter,  spent  all  his  wife's 
money  and  brought  her  down  to  absolute  beggary,  whereas, 
if  she'd  stuck  to  Barrington-Edwards  she'd  have  been  a 
wealthy  woman  indeed,  to-day.  He's  worth  half  a  million 
at  the  least  calculation." 


^0  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''How's  that?     Somebody  die  and  leave  him  a  fortune?" 

"No.  He  had  a  Httle  of  his  own.  Speculated,  while 
he  was  in  the  East,  in  precious  stones  and  land  which  he  had 
reason  to  believe  likely  to  produce  them;  succeeded  beyond 
his  wildest  hopes,  and  is  to-day  head  of  the  firm  of  Barring- 
ton-Edwards,  Morpeth  &  Firmin,  the  biggest  dealers  in 
precious  stones  that  Hatton  Garden  can  boast  of." 

"Oho!"  said  Cleek.  "I  see!  I  see!"  and  screwed  round 
on  his  heel  and  looked  out  of  the  windov/  again.  Then, 
after  a  moment:  "And  Mr.  Barrington-Edwards  lives 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Hampstead  Heath,  does  he?"  he 
asked  quite  calmly.     ' '  Alone ? ' ' 

"No.  With  his  nephew  and  heir,  young  Mr.  Archer 
IBlaine,  a  dead  sister's  only  child.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it 
was  Mr.  Archer  Blaine  himself  who  discovered  the  body  of 
the  fifth  victim.  Coming  home  at  a  quarter  to  one  from  a 
visit  to  an  old  college  friend,  he  found  the  man  lying  stone 
dead  in  the  shadow  of  the  wall  surrounding  Lemmingham 
House,  and,  of  course,  lost  no  time  in  dashing  indoors  for 
a  pohce  whistle  and  summoning  the  constable  on  point 
duty  in  the  district.  The  body  was  at  once  given  in  charge 
of  a  hastily  summoned  detachment  from  the  Yard  and  con- 
veyed to  the  Hampstead  mortuary,  where  it  still  Hes  await- 
ing identification." 

"Been  photographed?" 

"Not  as  yet.  Of  course  it  will  be  —  as  were  the  other 
four  —  prior  to  the  time  of  burial  should  nobody  turn  up 
to  claim  it.  But  in  this  instance  we  have  great  hopes  that 
identification  will  take  place  on  the  strength  of  a  marked 
peculiarity.     The  man  is  web-footed  and " 


"The  man  is  what?''  rapped  in  Cleek  excitedly. 

"Web-footed,"  repeated  Narkom.  "The  several  toes 
are  attached  one  to  the  other  by  a  thin  membrane,  after  the 
manner  of  a  duck's  feet;  and  on  the  left  foot  there  is  a 
peculiar  horny  protuberance  like " 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  51 

*'Like  a  rudimentary  sixth  toe!"  interrupted  Cleek, 
fairly  flinging  the  eager  query  at  him.  ''It  is,  eh?  Well, 
by  the  Eternal  I  I  once  knew  a  fellow  —  years  ago,  in  the 
Far  East  —  whose  feet  were  malformed  like  that;  and  if  by 

any  possibility Stop  a  bit !     A  word  more.     Is  that 

man  a  big  fellow  —  broad  shouldered  muscular,  and  about 
forty  or  forty-five  years  of  age?" 

''You've  described  him  to  a  T,  dear  chap.  There  is, 
however,  a  certain  other  peculiarity  which  you  have  not  men- 
tioned, though  that, of  course,  maybe  a  recent  acquirement. 
The  palm  of  the  right  hand " 

''Wait  a  bit!  Wait  a  bit!"  interposed  Cleek,  a  trifle 
irritably.  He  had  swung  away  from  the  window  and  was 
now  walking  up  and  down  the  room  with  short  nervous 
steps,  his  chin  pinched  up  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger, 
his  brows  knotted,  and  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  floor. 

"Saffragam  —  Jaffna — ■  Trincomalee !  In  all  three  of 
them  —  in  all  three ! "  he  said,  putting  his  running  thoughts 
into  muttered  words.  "And  now  a  dead  man  sticks  his 
fingers  in  his  nostrils  and  talks  of  sapphires.  Sapphires, 
eh?  And  the  Saffragam  district  stuck  thick  with  them  as 
spangles  on  a  Nautch  girl's  veil.  The  Bareva  for  a  ducat  I 
The  Bareva  Reef  or  I'm  a  Dutchman!  And  Barrington- 
Edwards  was  in  that  with  the  rest.  So  was  Peabody;  so 
was  Miles;  and  so,  too,  were  Lieutenant  Edgburn  and  the 
Spaniard,  Juan  Alvarez.  Eight  of  them,  b'gad  —  eight! 
And  I  was  ass  enough  to  forget,  idiot  enough  not  to  catch 
the  connection  until  I  heard  again  of  Jim  Peabody's  web 
foot!  But  wait!  Stop  —  there  should  be  another  marked 
foot  if  this  is  indeed  a  clue  to  the  riddle,  and  so " 

He  stopped  short  in  his  restless  pacing  and  faced  round 
on  Mr.  Narkom. 

"Tell  me  something,"  he  said  in  a  sharp  staccato.  "The 
four  other  dead  men  —  did  any  among  them  have  an  in- 
jured foot  —  the  left  or  the  right,  I  forget  which  —  from 


52  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

which  all  toes  but  the  big  one  had  been  torn  off  by  a  croco- 
dile's bite,  so  that  in  life  the  fellow  must  have  limped  a 
little  when  he  walked?  Did  any  of  the  dead  men  bear  a 
markhke  that?" 

''No,"  said  Narkom.  ''The  feet  of  all  the  others  were 
normal  in  every  particular." 

"Hum-m-m!  That's  a  bit  of  a  setback.  And  I  am 
either  on  the  wrong  track  or  Alvarez  is  still  aHve.  What's 
that?  Oh,  it  doesn't  matter;  a  mere  fancy  of  mine,  that's 
all.  Now  let  us  get  back  to  our  mutton,  please.  You  were 
going  to  tell  me  something  about  the  right  hand  of  the  man 
with  the  web  foot.     What  was  it?  " 

''The  palm  bore  certain  curious  hieroglyphics  traced  upon 
it  in  bright  purple." 

"Hieroglyphics,  eh?  That  doesn't  look  quite  so  promis- 
ing," said  Cleek  in  a  disappointed  tone.  "It  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  there  may  be  more  than  one  web-footed  man  in 

the  world,  so  of  course Hum-m-m !    What  were  these 

hieroglyphics,  Mr.  Narkom?     Can  you  describe  them?" 

"I  can  do  better,  my  dear  chap,"  replied  the  superin- 
tendent, dipping  into  an  inner  pocket  and  bringing  forth 
a  brown  leather  case.  "I  took  an  accurate  tracing  of  them 
from  the  dead  hand  this  morning,  and  —  there  you  are. 
That's  what's  on  his  palm,  Cleek,  close  to  the  base  of  the 
forefinger  running  diagonally  across  it." 

Cleek  took  the  slip  of  tracing  paper  and  carried  it  to  the 
window,  for  the  twilight  was  deepening  and  the  room  was 
filKng  with  shadows.  In  the  middle  of  the  thin,  transpar- 
ent sheet  was  traced  this: 

He  turned  it  up  and  down,  he  held  it  to  the  light  and 
studied  it  for  a  moment  or  two  in  perplexed  silence,  then 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  53 

of  a  sudden  he  faced  round,  and  Narkom  could  see  that  his 
eyes  were  shining  and  that  the  curious  one-sided  smile, 
peculiar  unto  him,  was  looping  up  his  cheek. 

^'My  friend,''  he  said,  answering  the  eager  query  in  the 
superintendent's  look,  ''this  is  yet  another  vindication  of 
Poe's  theory  that  things  least  hidden  are  best  hidden,  and 
that  the  most  complex  mysteries  are  those  which  are  based 
on  the  simplest  principles.  With  your  permission,  I'll 
keep  this"  —  tucking  the  tracing  into  his  pocket  —  ''and 
afterward  I  will  go  to  the  mortuary  and  inspect  the  original. 
Meantime,  I  will  go  so  far  as  to  tell  you  that  I  know  the 
motive  for  these  murders,  I  know  the  means,  and  if  you  will 
give  me  forty-eight  hours  to  solve  the  riddle,  at  the  end  of 
that  time  I'll  know  the  man.  I  will  even  go  farther  and  tell 
you  the  names  of  the  \ictims;  and  all  on  the  evidence  of 
your  neat  Httle  tracing.  The  web-footed  man  was  one, 
James  Peabody,  a  farrier,  at  one  time  attached  to  the  Blue 
Cavalry  at  Trincomalee,  Ceylon.  Another  was  Joseph 
Miles,  an  Irishman,  bitten  early  with  the  'wanderlust" 
which  takes  men  everywhere,  and  in  making  rolling  stones 
of  them,  suffers  them  to  gather  no  moss.  Still  another  — 
and  probably,  from  the  tattoo  mark  on  his  arm,  the  first 
victim  found  —  was  Thomas  Hart,  ablebodied  seaman, 
formerly  in  service  on  the  P  &  O  line;  the  remaining  two 
were  Alexander  McCurdy,  a  Scotchman,  and  T.  Jenkins 
Quegg,  a  Yankee.  The  latter,  however,  was  a  naturalized 
Englishman,  and  both  were  privates  in  her  late  Majesty's 
army  and  honourably  discharged." 

"Cleek,  my  dear  fellow,  are  you  a  magician?"  said  Nar- 
kom, sinking  into  a  chair,  overcome. 

''Oh,  no,  my  friend,  merely  a  man  with  a  memory,  that's 
all;  and  I  happen  to  remember  a  curious  little  'pool'  that 
w^as  made  up  of  eight  men.  Five  of  them  are  dead.  The 
other  three  are  Juan  Alvarez,  a  Spaniard,  that  Lieutenant 
Edgburn  who  married  and  beggared  the  girl  Captain  Bar- 


54  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

rington-Edwards  lost  when  he  was  disgraced,  and  last  of 
all  the  ex-Captain  Barrington-Edwards  himself.  Gently, 
gently,  my  friend.  Don't  excite  yourself.  All  these  mur- 
ders have  been  committed  with  a  definite  purpose  in 
view,  with  a  devil's  instrument,  and  for  the  devil's  own 
stake  —  riches.  Those  riches,  Mr.  Narkom,  were  to  come 
in  the  shape  of  precious  stones,  the  glorious  sapphires  of 
Ceylon.  And  five  of  the  eight  men  who  were  to  reap  the 
harvest  of  them  died  mysteriously  in  the  vicinity  of  Lem- 
mingham  House." 

*'  Cleek!  My  hat!"  Narkom  sprang  up  as  he  spoke,  and 
then  sat  down  again  in  a  sort  of  panic.  ''And  he  —  Bar- 
rington-Edwards, the  man  that  lives  there  —  deals  in  pre- 
cious stones.     Then  that  man " 

*' Gently,  my  friend,  gently  —  don't  bang  away  at  the 
first  rabbit  that  bolts  out  of  the  hole  —  it  may  be  a  wee  one 
and  you'll  lose  the  buck  that  follows.  Two  men  live  in  that 
house,  remember;  Mr.  Archer  Blaine  is  Mr.  Barrington- 
Edwards'  heir  as  well  as  his  nephew  and  —  who  knows?  " 


CHAPTER  III 

*  *  /'^INNAMON !  what  a  corroboration  —  what  a  horrible 

^^^  corroboration !  Cleek,  you  knock  the  last  prop  from 
under  me ;  you  make  certain  a  thing  that  I  thought  was  only 
a  woman's  wild  imaginings,"  said  Narkom,  getting  up  sud- 
denly, all  a- tremble  with  excitement.  *'Good  heavens!  to 
have  Miss  Valmond's  story  corroborated  in  this  dreadful 
way." 

^'Miss  Valmond?  Who's  she?  Any  relation  to  that 
Miss  Rose  Valmond  whose  name  one  sees  in  the  papers  so 
frequently  in  connection  with  gifts  to  Catholic  Orphanages 
and  Foundling  Homes?  " 

"The  same  lady,"  replied  Narkom.  "Her  charities  are 
numberless,  her  life  a  psalm.  I  think  she  has  done  more 
good  in  her  simple,  undemonstrative  way  than  half  the  guilds 
and  missions  in  London.  She  has  an  independent  fortune, 
and  lives,  in  company  with  an  invalid  and  almost  imbecile 
mother,  and  a  brother  who  is,  I  am  told,  studying  for  the 
priesthood,  in  a  beautiful  home  surrounded  by  splendid 
grounds,  the  walls  of  which  separate  her  garden  from  that  of 
Lemmingham  House." 

"Ah,  I  see.  Then  she  is  a  neighbour  of  Barrington- 
Edwards?" 

"Yes.  From  the  back  windows  of  her  residence  one  can 
look  into  the  grounds  of  his.  That  is  how  —  Cleek  1"  Mr. 
Narkom's  voice  shook  with  agitation  —  ' '  You  will  remember 
I  said,  a  Httle  time  back,  that  I  would  have  something 
startling  to  tell  you  in  connection  with  Barrington-Edwards 
^ — something  that  was  not  connected  with  that  old  army 

55 


56  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND    YARD 

scandal?  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  high  character  of  my 
informant;  if  it  had  been  any  other  woman  in  all  England 
I  should  have  thought  she  was  suffering  from  nerves  - 
fancying  things  as  the  result  of  an  overwrought  mind  sent 
into  a  state  of  hysteria  through  all  those  abominable  crimes 
in  the  neighbourhood;  but  when  it  was  she,  when  it  was 
Miss  Valmond " 

''Oho I"  said  Cleek,  screwing  round  suddenly.  "Then 
Miss  Valmond  told  you  something  with  regard  to  Bar- 
rington-Edwards?" 

"Yes  —  a  horrible  something.  She  came  to  me  this 
morning  looking  as  I  hope  I  shall  never  see  a  good  woman 
look  again  —  as  if  she  had  been  tortured  to  the  last  hmit 
of  human  endurance.  She  had  been  fighting  a  silent  battle 
for  weeks  and  weeks  she  said,  but  her  conscience  would  not 
let  her  keep  the  appalhng  secret  any  longer,  neither  would 
her  duty  to  Heaven.  Wakened  in  the  dead  of  night  by  a 
sense  of  oppression,  she  had  gone  to  her  window  to  open 
it  for  air,  and,  looking  down  by  chance  into  the  garden  of 
Lemmingharn  House,  she  had  seen  a  man  come  rushing  out 
of  the  rear  door  of  Barring  ton-Edwards'  place  in  his  pa- 
jamas, closely  followed  by  another,  whom  she  beheved  to 
be  Barrington-Edwards  himself,  and  she  had  seen  that  man 
unlock  the  door  in  the  side  wall  and  push  the  poor  wretch 
out  into  the  road  where  he  was  afterward  found  by  the  con- 
stable." 

"By  Jupiter!" 

"Ah,  you  may  be  moved  when  you  connect  that  circum- 
stance with  what  you  have  yourself  unearthed.  But  there 
is  worse  to  come.  Unable  to  overcome  a  frightful  fascina- 
tion which  drew  her  night  after  night  to  that  window^,  she 
saw  that  same  thing  happen  again  to  the  fourth,  and  finally, 
the  fifth  man  —  the  web-footed  one  —  and  that  last  time 
she  saw  the  face  of  the  pursuer  quite  plainly.  It  was  Bar- 
rington-Edwards 1 " 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  57 

"Sure  of  that,  was  she?  " 

^'Absolutely.  It  was  the  positive  certainty  it  was  he  that 
drove  her  at  last  to  speak!" 

Cleek  made  no  reply,  no  comment;  merely  screwed  round 
on  his  heel  and  took  to  pacing  the  floor  again.  After  a 
minute  however : 

''Mr.  Narkom,"  he  said  halting  abruptly.  "I  suppose 
all  my  old  duds  are  still  in  the  locker  of  the  Umousine,  aren't 
they?  Good!  I  thought  so.  Give  Lennard  the  signal, 
will  you?  I  must  risk  the  old  car  in  an  emergency  like 
this.  Take  me  first  to  the  cable  office,  please;  then  to  the 
mortuary,  and  afterward  to  Miss  Valmond's  home.  I  hate 
to  torture  her  further,  poor  girl,  but  I  must  get  all  the  facts 
of  this,  firsthand." 

He  did.  The  limousine  was  summoned  at  once,  and 
inside  of  an  hour  it  set  him  down  (looking  the  very  picture 
of  a  sohcitor's  clerk)  at  the  cable  office,  then  picked  up  and 
set  him  down  at  the  Hampstead  mortuary,  this  time,  mak- 
ing so  good  a  counterpart  of  Petrie  that  even  Hammond, 
who  was  on  guard  beside  the  dead  man,  said  "Hullo,  Pete, 
that  you?  Thought  you  was  oft'  duty  to-day,"  as  he  came  in 
with  the  superintendent. 

"Jim  Peabody  fast  enough,  Mr.  Narkom,"  commented 
Cleek,  when  they  were  left  together  beside  the  dead  man. 
"Changed,  of  course,  in  all  the  years,  but  still  poor  old  Jim. 
Good-hearted,  honest,  but  illiterate.  Could  barely  more 
than  write  his  name,  and  even  that  without  a  capital,  poor 
chap.  Let  me  look  at  the  hand.  A  violet  smudge  on  the 
top  of  the  thumb  as  well  as  those  marks  on  the  palm,  I  see. 
Hum-m-m!  Any  letters  or  writing  of  any  sort  in  the 
pockets  when  found?  None,  eh?  That  old  bone-handled 
pocket  knife  there  his?  Yes,  I'd  like  to  look  at  it.  Open  it- 
please.  Thanks.  I  thought  so,  I  thought  so.  Those  the 
socks  he  had  on?  Poor  wretch!  Down  to  that  at  last,  eh? 
—  down  to  that !    Let  me  have  one  of  them  for  a  day  or  so, 


58  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

will  you?  and  —  3^es  —  the  photographs  of  the  other  four, 
please.  Thanks  very  much.  No,  that's  all.  Now  then, 
to  call  on  Miss  Valmond,  if  you  don't  mind.  Right  you 
are.  Lethergo,  Lennard.  Down  with  the  blinds  and  open 
with  the  locker  again,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  we'll'dig'Mr.  George 
Headland'  out  of  his  two-months'  old  grave."  And  at 
exactly  ten  minutes  after  eight  o'clock,  Mr.  George  Head- 
land was  'dug  up'  and  was  standing  with  Mr.  Narkom  in 
Rose  Valmond's  house  listening  to  Rose  Valmond's  story 
from  her  own  lips,  and  saying  to  himself,  the  while,  that 
here  surely  was  that  often  talked-of ,  seldom-seen  creature, 
a  woman  with  an  angel's  face. 

How  it  distressed  her,  to  tell  again  this  story  which  might 
take  away  a  human  life,  was  manifest  from  the  trembling  of 
her  sweet  voice,  the  painful  twitching  of  her  tender  mouth, 
and  the  tears  that  rose  so  readily  to  her  soft  eyes. 

^'Oh,  Mr.  Headland,  I  can  hardly  reconcile  myself  to 
having  done  it  even  yet,"  she  said  pathetically.  ''I  do 
not  know  this  Mr.  Barrington-Edwards  but  by  sight,  and 
it  seems  such  a  horrible  thing  to  rise  up  against  a  stranger 
like  that.  But  I  couldn't  keep  it  any  longer;  I  felt  that  to 
do  so  would  be  equivalent  to  sharing  his  guilt,  and  the 
thought  that  if  I  kept  silent  I  might  possibly  be  paving  the 
way  to  the  sacrifice  of  other  innocent  lives  almost  drove 
me  out  of  my  mind." 

"I  can  quite  understand  your  feelings.  Miss  Valmond," 
said  Cleek,  touched  to  the  very  heart  by  the  deep  distress 
of  her.  ''But  may  I  say  I  think  you  have  done  right?  I 
never  yet  knew  Heaven  to  be  anything  but  tender  to  those 
who  do  their  duty,  and  you  certainly  have  done  yours  —  to 
yourself,  to  your  fellow  creatures,  and  to  God!" 

Before  she  could  make  any  response  to  this,  footsteps 
sounded  from  the  outer  passage,  and  a  deep,  rich,  masculine 
voice  said,  "Rose,  Rose  dear,  I  am  ready  now,"  and  almost 
\n  the  same  moment  a  tall,  well-set-up  man  in  priestly  cloth- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  59 

ing  crossed  the  threshold  and  entered  the  room.  He  stopped 
short  as  he  saw  the  others  and  made  a  hasty  apology. 

''Oh,  pardon  me/'  he  said.     ''I  did  not  know  that  you 

had  visitors,  dear;  otherwise Eh,  what?     Mr.  Nar- 

kom,isitnot?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Valmond,"  replied  the  superintendent,  hold- 
ing out  a  welcoming  hand.  ''It  is  I,  and  this  is  my  friend 
and  assistant,  Mr.  George  Headland.  We  have  just  been 
talking  with  your  sister  over  her  trying  experience." 

"Terrible  —  terrible  is  the  proper  word,  Mr.  Narkom. 
Like  you,  I  never  heard  of  it  until  to-day.  It  shocked  me 
to  the  very  soul,  you  may  beHeve.  Delighted  to  meet  you, 
Mr.  Headland.  A  new  disciple,  eh,  Mr.  Narkom?  Another 
follower  in  the  footsteps  of  the  great  Cleek?  By  the  way,  I 
see  you  have  lost  touch  with  that  amazing  man.  I  saw 
your  advertisement  in  the  paper  the  other  day.  Any  clue 
to  his  whereabouts  as  yet?" 

"Nottheshghtest!" 

"Ah,  that's  too  bad.  From  what  I  have  heard  of  him  he 
would  have  made  short  work  of  this  present  case  had  he 
been  available.  But  pray  pardon  me  if  I  rush  off,  my  time 
is  very  hmited.  Rose,  dear,  I  am  going  to  visit  Father 
Burns  this  evening  and  shall  stop  at  the  orphanage  on  the 
way,  so  if  you  have  the  customary  parcel  for  the  chil' 
dren " 

"It  is  upstairs,  in  my  oratory,  dear,"  she  interposed. 
"Come  with  me  —  if  the  gentlemen  will  excuse  us  for  a 
moment  —  and  I  will  get  it  for  you." 

"May  we  not  all  go  up.  Miss  Valmond?"  interposed 
Cleek.  "I  should  like,  if  you  do  not  mind,  to  get  a  view  of 
the  garden  of  Lemmingham  House  from  the  window  where 
you  were  standing  that  night,  and  to  have  you  explain  the 
positions  of  the  two  men  if  you  will." 

"Yes,  certainly  —  come,  by  all  means,"  she  replied,  and 
led  the  way  forthwith.     They  had  scarcely  gone  halfway 


60  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

down  the  passage  to  the  staircase,  however,  when  they  came 
abreast  of  the  open  doorway  of  a  room,  dimly  Kt  by  a  shaded 
lamp,  wherein  an  elderly  woman  sat  huddled  up  in  a  deep 
chair,  with  her  shaking  head  bowed  over  hands  that  moved 
restlessly  and  aimlessly  —  after  the  uneasy  manner  of 
an  idiot's  —  and  the  shape  of  whose  face  could  be  but 
faintly  seen  through  the  veil  of  white  hair  that  fell  loosely 
over  it. 

Cleek  had  barely  time  to  recall  Narkom's  statement  re- 
garding the  semi-imbecile  mother,  when  Miss  Valmond  gave 
a  little  cry  of  wonder  and  ran  into  the  room. 

"Why,  mother!"  she  said  in  her  gentle  way,  "whatever 
are  you  doing  down  here,  dearest?  I  thought  you  were  still 
asleep  in  the  oratory.     When  did  you  come  down?  " 

The  imbecile  merely  mmnbled  and  muttered,  and  shook 
her  nodding  head,  neither  answering  nor  taking  any  notice 
whatsoever. 

"It  is  one  of  her  bad  nights,"  explained  Miss  Valmond, 
as  she  came  out  and  rejoined  them.  "We  can  do  nothing 
with  her  when  she  is  like  this.  Horace,  you  will  have  to 
come  home  earher  than  usual  to-night  and  help  me  to  get 
her  to  bed."  Then  she  went  on,  leading  the  way  upstairs, 
until  they  came  at  length  to  a  sort  of  sanctuary  where  Ma- 
donna faces  looked  down  from  sombre  niches,  and  wax  Hghta 
burnt  with  a  scented  flame  on  a  draped  and  cushioned  prie 
dieu.  Here  Miss  Valmond,  who  was  in  the  lead,  went  in, 
and,  taking  a  paper-wrapped  parcel  from  beside  the  little 
altar,  came  back  and  put  it  in  her  brother's  hand  and  sent 
him  on  his  way. 

"Was  it  from  there  you  saw  the  occurrence.  Miss  Val- 
mond?" asked  Cleek,  looking  past  her  into  "the  dim  re- 
ligious light"  of  the  sanctuary. 

"Oh,  no,"  she  made  reply.  "From  the  window  of  my 
bedroom,  just  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall.  In  here,  look, 
see!"     And  she  opened  a  door  to  the  right  and  led  them  in. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  61 

touching  a  key  that  flashed  an  electric  lamp  into  radiance 
and  illuminated  the  entire  room. 

It  was  a  large  room  furnished  in  dull  oak  and  dark  green 
after  the  stately,  sombre  style  of  a  Gothic  chapel,  and  at  one 
end  there  was  a  curtained  recess  leading  to  a  large  bow  win- 
dow. At  the  other  there  was  a  sort  of  altar  banked  high 
with  white  flowers,  and  at  the  side  there  was  a  huge  cano- 
pied bed  over  the  head  of  which  hung  an  immense  crucifix 
fastened  to  the  wall  that  backed  upon  the  oratory.  It  was 
a  majestic  thing,  that  crucifix,  richly  carved  and  exquisitely 
designed.  Cleek  went  nearer  and  looked  at  it,  his  artistic 
eye  captured  by  the  beauty  of  it;  and  Miss  Valmond,  noting 
his  interest,  smiled. 

^*My  brother  brought  me  that  from  Rome,"  she  said. 
*'  Is  it  not  divine,  Mr.  Headland?  " 

*'Yes,"  he  said.  ^'But  you  must  be  more  careful  of  it,  I 
fear,  Miss  Valmond.  Is  it  not  chipping?  Look!  Isn't 
this  a  piece  of  it?  "  He  bent  and  picked  a  tiny  curled  shver 
of  wood  from  the  narrow  space  between  the  two  down-filled 
pillows  of  the  bed,  holding  it  out  to  her  upon  his  palm.  But, 
of  a  sudden,  he  smiled,  Hfted  the  sKver  to  his  nose,  smelt 
it,  and  cast  it  away.  ''The  laugh  is  on  me,  I  fear  —  it's 
only  a  cedar  paring  from  a  lead  pencil.  And  now,  please, 
I'd  like  to  investigate  the  window." 

She  led  him  to  it  at  once,  explaining  where  she  stood  on 
the  eventful  night;  where  she  had  seen  the  two  figures  pass, 
and  where  was  the  wall  door  through  which  the  dying  man 
had  been  thrust. 

"I  wish  I  might  see  that  door  clearer,"  said  Cleek;  for 
night  had  fallen  and  the  moon  was  not  yet  up.  "Don't 
happen  to  have  such  a  thing  as  a  telescope  or  an  opera  glass, 
do  you,  Miss  Valmond?" 

"My  brother  has  a  pair  of  field  glasses  downstairs  in 
his  room.     Shall  I  run  and  fetch  them  for  you?  " 

X'd  be  very  grateful  if  you  would,"  said  Cleek;  and  a 


m- 


62  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

moment  after  she  had  gone.  ''Run  down  and  get  my 
sketching  materials  out  of  the  locker,  will  you,  Mr.  Nar^ 
kom? "  he  added.  ''I  want  to  make  a  diagram  of  that  house 
and  garden."  Then  he  sat  down  on  the  window- seat  and 
for  five  whole  minutes  was  alone. 

The  field  glasses  and  the  sketching  materials  were  brought, 
the  garden  door  examined  and  the  diagram  made,  Miss  Val- 
mond  and  Narkom  standing  by  and  watching  eagerly  the 
whole  proceeding. 

''That's  all!"  said  Cleek,  after  a  time,  brushing  the  char- 
coal dust  from  his  fingers,  and  snapping  the  elastic  band  over 
the  sketch  book.  "I  know  my  man  at  last,  Mr.  Narkom. 
Give  me  until  ten  o'clock  to-morrow  night,  and  then,  if  Miss 
Valmond  will  let  us  in  here  again,  I'll  capture  Barrington- 
Edwards  red-handed." 

"You  are  sure  of  him,  then?  " 

"As  sure  as  I  am  that  I'm  alive.  I'll  lay  a  trap  that  will 
catch  him.  I  promise  you  that.  So  if  Miss  Valmond  will 
let  us  in  here  again " 

"Yes,  Mr.  Headland,  I  will." 

"  Good !  Then  let  us  say  at  ten  o'clock  to-morrow  night 
—  here  in  this  room;  you,  I,  your  brother,  Mr.  Narkom- — 
all  concerned ! "  said  Cleek.  "At  ten  to  the  tick,  remember. 
Now  come  along,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  let  me  be  about  weaving 
the  snare  that  shall  pull  this  Mr.  Barrington-Edwards  to  the 
scaffold."  Speaking,  he  bowed  to  Miss  Valmond,  and  tak- 
ing Mr.  Narkom's  arm,  passed  out  and  went  down  the  stairs 
to  prepare  for  the  last  great  act  of  tragedy. 


CHAPTER  IV 

AT  TEN  to  the  tick  on  the  following  night,  he  had 
said,  and  at  ten  to  the  tick  he  was  there  —  the  old 
red  limousine  whirling  him  up  to  the  door  in  company  with 
Mr.  Narkom,  there  to  be  admitted  by  Miss  Valmond's 
brother. 

*'My  dear  Mr.  Headland,  I  have  been  on  thorns  ever 
since  I  heard,"  said  he.  ^'I  hope  and  pray  it  is  right, 
this  assistance  we  are  giving.  But  tell  me,  please  —  have 
you  succeeded  in  your  plans?  Are  you  sure  they  will  not 
fail?" 

*'To  both  questions,  yes,  Mr.  Valmond.  We'll  have  our 
man  to-night.     Now,  if  you  please,  where  is  your  sister?  " 

''Upstairs  —  in  her  own  room  —  with  my  mother.  We 
tried  to  get  the  mater  to  bed,  but  she  is  very  fractious  to- 
night and  will  not  let  Rose  out  of  her  sight  for  a  single 
instant.  But  she  will  not  hamper  your  plans,  I'm  sure. 
Come  quickly,  please  —  this  way."  Here  he  led  themi  on 
and  up  until  they  stood  in  Miss  Valmond's  bedroom  and  in 
Miss  Valmond's  presence  again.  She  was  there  by  the 
window,  her  imbecile  mother  sitting  at  her  feet  with  her 
face  in  her  daughter's  lap,  that  daughter's  soKcitous  hand 
gently  stroking  her  tumbled  hair,  and  no  light  but  that  of 
the  moon  through  the  broad  window  illuminating  the  hushed 
and  stately  room. 

"I  keep  my  word,  you  see.  Miss  Valmond,"  said  Cleek, 
as  he  entered.  ''And  in  five  minutes'  time  if  you  watch 
from  that  window  you  all  shall  see  a  thing  that  will  amaze 
you." 


64  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''You  have  run  the  wretched  man  down,  then,  Mr. 
Headland?" 

*' Yes  —  to  the  last  ditch,  to  the  wall  itself,"  he  answered, 
making  room  for  her  brother  to  get  by  him  and  make  a 
place  for  himself  at  the  window.  ''Oh,  it's  a  pretty  httle 
game  he's  been  playing,  that  gentleman,  and  it  dates  back 
twenty  years  ago  when  he  was  kicked  out  of  his  regiment 
in  Ceylon." 

"In  Ceylon !  I  —  er  —  God  bless  my  soul,  was  he  ever 
in  Ceylon,  Mr.  Headland?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Valmond,  he  was.  It  w^as  at  a  time  when 
there  was  what  you  might  call  a  sapphire  fever  raging  there, 
and  precious  stones  w^re  being  unearthed  in  every  unheard- 
of  quarter.  He  got  the  fever  with  the  rest,  but  he  hadn't 
much  money,  so  when  he  fell  in  with  a  lot  of  fellows  who 
had  heard  of  a  Cingalese,  one  Bareva  Singh,  w^ho  had  a 
reef  to  sell  in  the  Saffragam  district,  they  made  a  pool  be- 
tween them  and  bought  the  blessed  thing,  calling  it  after 
the  man  they  had  purchased  it  from,  the  Bareva  Reef, 
setting  out  Kke  a  party  of  donkeys  to  mine  it  for  themselves, 
and  expecting  to  pull  out  sapphires  by  the  bucketful." 

"Dear  me,  dear  me,  how  very  extraordinary!  Of  course 
they  didn't?     Or  —  did  they?  " 

"No,  they  didn't.  A  month's  work  convinced  them  that 
the  ground  was  as  empty  of  treasure  as  an  eggshell,  so  they 
abandoned  it,  separated,  and  went  their  several  ways.  A 
few  months  ago,  however,  it  w^as  discovered  that  if  they  had 
had  the  implements  to  mine  deeper,  their  dream  would  have 
been  reahzed,  for  the  reef  w^as  a  perfect  bed  of  sapphires 
- —  and  eight  men  held  an  equal  share  in  it.  The  scheme, 
then,  was  to  get  rid  of  these  men,  secretly,  one  by  one;  for 
one  —  perhaps  two  men  —  to  get  the  deeds  held  by  the 
others;  to  pretend  that  they  had  been  purchased  from  the 
original  owners,  and  to  prevent  by  murder  those  original 
owners  from " 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  65 

He  stopped  suddenly  and  switched  round.  Miss  Val- 
mond  had  risen  and  so  had  her  mother.  He  was  on  the 
pair  of  them  hke  a  leaping  cat;  there  was  a  sharp  cHck- 
click,  a  snarl,  and  a  scream,  and  one  end  of  a  handcuff 
was  on  the  wrist  of  each. 

''Got  you,  Miss  Rosie  Edgburn!  Got  you,  Senor  Juan 
Alvarez!"  he  rapped  out  sharply;  then  in  a  louder  tone,  as. 
the  Reverend  Horace  made  a  bolt  for  the  door:  "  Stop  him, 
nab  him,  Mr.  Narkom!  Quick!  Played  sir,  played.  Come 
in,  Petrie;  come  in,  Hammond.  Gentlemen,  here  they  are, 
all  three  of  them:  Lieutenant  Eric  Edgburn,  his  daughter 
Rose,  and  Senor  Juan  Alvarez,  the  three  brute  beasts  who 
sent  five  men  to  their  death  for  the  sake  of  a  lode  of  sap- 
phires and  the  devil's  lust  for  gain ! " 

''It's  a  He!"  flung  out  the  girl  who  had  been  known  as- 
Rose  Valmond. 

"Oh,  no,  it's  not,  you  vixen!  You  loathsome  creature 
that  prostituted  holy  things  and  made  a  shield  of  religion 
to  carry  on  a  vampire's  deeds.  Look  here,  you  beast  of 
blasphemy:  I  know  the  secret  of  this,"  he  said,  and  walked 
over  and  laid  his  hand  on  the  crucifix  at  the  head  of  the 
bed.  "Petrie!  round  into  the  oratory  with  you.  There's, 
a  nob  at  the  side  of  the  prayer  desk  —  press  it  when  I  shout. 
Oh,  no,  Miss  Edgburn;  no,  I  shan't  dance  circles  nor  put 
my  fingers  into  my  nose,  nor  bite  the  dust  and  die.  Look 
how  I  dare  it  all.     Now  Petrie,  now! " 

And  lo !  as  he  spoke,  out  of  the  nostrils  of  the  figure  on  the 
cross  there  rushed  downward  two  streams  of  white  vapour 
which  beat  upon  the  pillows  and  upon  him,  smothering 
both  in  white  dust. 

"Face  powder,  Miss  Edgburn,  only  face  powder  from 
your  own  Kttle  case  over  there,"  he  said.  "I  removed  the; 
devil's  dust  last  night  when  I  was  in  this  room  alone." 

She  made  him  no  reply  —  only,  like  a  cornered  wretch^,, 
screamed  out  and  fainted. 


66  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

*'Mr.  Narkom,  you  have  seen  the  method  of  adminis- 
tering the  thing  which  caused  the  death  of  those  five  men; 
it  is  now  only  fair  that  3^ou  should  know  what  that  thing 
was,"  he  said,  turning  to  the  superintendent.     ''  It  is  known 
by  two  names  —  De\drs  Dust  and  Dust  of  Death,  and  both 
suit  it  well.     It  is  the  fine,  feathery  powder  that  grows  on 
the  young  shoots  of  the  bamboo  tree  —  a  favourite  method 
of  secret  kilHng  with  the  natives  of  the  Malay  Peninsula 
and   those   of  Madagascar,   the  Philippines  and  Ceylon. 
When  blown  into  the  nostrils  of  a  living  creature  it  produces 
first  an  awful  agony  of  suffocation,  a  feeling  as  though  the 
brain  is  coming  down  and  exuding  from  the  nostrils,  then 
delirium,  during  which  the  victim  invariably  falls  on  hJs 
face  and  bites  the  earth;  then  comes  death.     Death  mth- 
out  a  trace,  my  friend,  for  the  hellish  dust  all  but  evapo- 
rates, and  the  slight  sediment  that  remains  is  carried  out 
of  the  system  by  the  spasm  of  enteric  it  produces.      That 
is  the  riddle's  solution.     As  for  the  rest,  those  men  were 
lured  here  by  letters  —  from  Alvarez  —  telling  them  of  the 
reef's  great  fortune,  of  the  necessity  for  coming  at  once  and 
bringing  their  deeds  with  them,  and  impressing  upon  them 
the  possibility  of  being  defrauded  if  they  breathed  one  word 
to  a  mortal  soul  about  their  leaving  or  why.     They  came, 
they  were  invited  to  spend  the  night  and  to  sleep  upon  that 
accursed  bed,  and  —  the  devil's  dust  did  the  rest.     I  traced 
that  out  through  poor  Jim  Peabody's  sock.     It  was  one  of 
the  blue  yarn  kind  that  are  given  to  the  inmates  of  work- 
houses.    I  traced  him  through  that;  and  the  others  through 
the  photographs.     Each  had  been  known  to  have  received 
a  letter  from  London,  and  each  had  in  turn  vanished  without 
a  word.     Poor  chaps!  poor  unhappy  chaps!     Let  us  hope, 
dear  friend,  that  they  have  found  '  the  Place  of  Sapphires' 
after  all." 


CHAPTER  V 

*^  T  TOW  did  I  come  to  suspect  the  girl?"  said  Cleek,  an- 
^  A  swering  Narkom's  query,  as  they  swung  off  through 
the  darkness  in  the  red  Hmousine,  leaving  Edgburn  and  his 
confederates  in  the  hands  of  the  poUce.  ''Well,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  I  did  not  suspect  her  at  all,  in  the  beginning  —  her 
saintly  reputation  saved  her  from  any  such  thing  as  that. 
It  was  only  when  her  father  came  in  that  I  knew.  And 
later,  I  knew  even  better  —  when  I  saw  that  pretended 
imbecile  sitting  there  in  that  room;  for  the  blundering  fool 
had  been  ass  enough  to  kick  off  his  slippers  and  sit  there  in 
his  stocking  feet,  and  I  spotted  the  Alvarez  foot  on  the 
instant.  Still,  I  didn't  know  but  what  the  girl  herself  might 
be  an  innocent  victim  —  a  sort  of  dove  in  a  vulture's  nest  — 
and  it  was  not  until  I  found  that  scrap  of  wood  from  a  sharp- 
ened lead  pencil  that  I  began  to  doubt  her.  It  was  only 
when  I  promised  that  Barrington-Edwards  should  be 
trapped,  that  I  actually  knew.  The  light  that  flamed  in  her 
eyes  in  spite  of  her  at  that  would  have  made  an  idiot  under- 
stand. What's  that?  What  should  I  suspect  from  the 
finding  of  that  scrap  of  pencil?  My  dear  Mr.  Narkom, 
carry  your  mind  back  to  that  moment  when  I  found  the 
stain  on  poor  Jim  Peabody's  thumb,  and  then  examined  the 
blade  of  his  pocket  knife.  The  marks  on  the  latter  showed 
clearly  that  the  man  had  sharpened  a  pencil  with  it  —  and, 
of  course,  with  the  point  of  that  pencil  against  the  top  of  his 
thumb.  By  the  peculiar  bronze-like  shine  of  the  streaks,  and 
the  small  particles  of  dust  adhering  to  the  knife  blade,  I  felt 
persuaded  that  the  pencil  was  an  indehble  one  —  in  short, 

67 


68  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

one  of  those  which  write  a  faint,  blackish-Hlac  hue  which, 
on  the  appHcation  of  moisture,  turns  to  a  vivid  and  indeli- 
ble purple.  The  moisture  induced  by  the  act  of  thrusting 
his  forefingers  up  his  nostrils  to  allay  the  horrible  sensation 
of  the  brain  descending,  which  that  hellish  powder  produces, 
together  with  the  perspiration  which  comes  with  intense 
agony,  had  made  such  a  change  in  the  smears  his  thumb  and 
forefinger  bore,  and  left  no  room  for  doubt  that  at  the  time 
he  was  smitten  he  had  either  just  begun  or  just  concluded 
WTiting  something  with  an  indelible  pencil  which  he  had 
but  recently  sharpened.  Poor  wretch !  he  of  all  the  lot  had 
some  one  belonging  to  him  that  was  still  hving  —  his  poor 
old  mother.  It  is  very  fair  to  suppose  that,  finding  the 
Alvarez  place  so  lavishly  furnished,  and  ha\dng  hopes  that 
^reat  riches  were  yet  to  be  his,  he  sat  down  on  that  bed  and 
began  to  write  a  few  lines  in  his  illiterate  way  to  that  mother 
before  wholly  undressing  and  getting  between  the  sheets. 
The  mark  on  his  palm  is  a  clear  proof  that  when  the  powder 
suddenly  descended  upon  him  he  involuntarily  closed  his 
hand  on  that  letter  and  the  perspiration  transferred  to  his 
jflesh  the  shape  of  the  scrawl  upon  which  it  rested.  Pardon? 
How  did  I  know  through  that  scrawl  that  I  was  really  on 
the  track,  and  that  it  was  the  Bareva  Reef  that  was  at  the 
bottom  of  the  whole  game?  My  dear  Mr.  Narkom,  I  won't 
insult  your  intelligence  by  explaining  that.  All  you  have 
to  do  is  to  turn  that  tracing  upside  down  and  look  through 
it  —  or  at  it  in  a  mirror  —  and  you'll  have  the  answer  for 
yourself.  What's  that?  The  parcel  the  girl  gave  Edgburn 
to  carry  out  on  the  pretext  of  taking  it  to  an  orphanage? 
Oh,  that  was  how  they  were  slowly  getting  rid  of  the  vic- 
tims' clothes.  Cutting  them  up  into  httle  pieces  and  throw- 
ing them  into  the  river,  I  suppose,  or  if  not " 

He  stopped  suddenly,  his  ear  caught  by  a  warning  sound; 
then  turned  in  his  seat  and  glanced  through  the  little  win- 
dow at  the  back  of  the  limousine. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  69 

"I  thought  as  much,"  he  said,  half  aloud;  then  leaned  for- 
ward, caught  up  the  pipe  of  the  speaking  tube,  and  signalled 
Lennard.  ''Look  sharp  —  taxi  following  us!"  he  said. 
*'Put  on  a  sudden  spurt  —  that  chap  will  increase  speed  to 
keep  pace  with  us  —  then  pull  up  sharp  and  let  the  other 
fellow's  impetus  carry  him  by  before  he  can  help  himself. 
Out  with  the  light,  Mr.  Narkom  —  out  with  it  quick ! " 

Both  Lennard  and  his  master  followed  instructions.  Of 
a  sudden  the  lights  flicked  out,  the  car  leapt  forward  with 
a  bound,  then  pulled  up  with  a  jerk  that  shook  it  from  end 
to  end.  In  that  moment  the  taxi  in  the  rear  whizzed  by 
them,  and  Narkom,  leaning  forward  to  look  as  it  flashed 
past,  saw  seated  within  it  the  figure  of  Count  Waldemar  of 
Mauravania. 

''By  James!  Did  you  see  that,  Cleek?"  he  cried,  and 
switched  round  and  made  a  grab  for  Cleek's  arm. 

But  Cleek  was  not  there.  His  seat  was  empty,  and  the 
door  beside  it  was  swinging  ajar. 

"Well,  I'll  be  jiggered!"  exclaimed  the  superintendent, 
fairly  carried  out  of  himself  —  for,  even  in  his  old  Vanish- 
ing Cracksman's  days,  when  he  had  slipped  the  leash  and 
eluded  the  poHce  so  often,  the  man  had  not  made  a  more 
adroit,  more  silent,  more  successful  getaway  than  this. 

"Of  all  the  astonishing 1      Gad,  an  eel's  a  fool  to  him 

for  slipping  out  of  tight  places.  When  did  he  go,  I  wonder, 
and  where?" 

Never  very  strong  on  matters  of  detail,  here  curiosity 
tricked  him  into  absolute  indiscretion.  SHding  along  the 
seat  to  the  swinging  door  he  thrust  it  open  and  leaned  out 
into  the  darkness,  for  a  purpose  so  evident  that  he  who  ran 
might  read.  That  one  who  ran  did,  he  had  good  reason  to 
understand  in  the  next  instant,  for,  of  a  sudden,  the  taxi  in 
advance  checked  its  wild  flight,  swung  round  with  a  noisy 
scroo-op,  and  pelted  back  until  the  two  vehicles  stood  cheek 
by  jowl,  so  to  speak,  and  the  glare  of  its  headlights  was 


70  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

pouring  full  force  upon  Mr.  Narkom  and  into  the  interior 
of  the  red  limousine. 

"Here!  Dash  your  infernal  impudence,"  began  he, 
blinking  up  at  the  driver  through  a  glare  which  prevented 
him  seeing  that  the  taxicab's  leather  blinds  had  been  dis- 
creetly pulled  down,  and  its  interior  rendered  quite  invisible; 
but  before  he  could  add  so  much  as  another  word  to  his  pro- 
test the  chauffeur's  voice  broke  in  with  a  blandness  and  an 
accent  which  told  its  own  story. 

"Dix  mille  pardons,  m'sieur,"  it  commenced,  then  pulled 
itself  up  as  if  the  owner  of  it  had  suddenly  recollected  him- 
self —  and  added  abruptly  in  a  farcical  attempt  to  imitate 
the  jargon  of  the  fast-disappearing  London  cabby.  "Keep 
of  the  'air  on,  ole  coq!  Only  wantin'  to  arsk  of  the  question 
civile.  Lost  my  bloomin'  way.  Put  a  cove  on  to  the  short 
cut  to  the  'Igh  Street  will  yer,  like  a  blessed  Christian? 
I  dunno  where  I  are." 

Mr.  Narkom  was  not  suffered  to  make  reply.  Before 
he  had  more  than  grasped  the  fact  that  the  speaker  was 
undeniably  a  Frenchman,  Lennard  —  out  of  the  range  of 
that  dazzHng  light  —  had  made  the  discovery  that  he  was 
yet  more  undeniably  a  Frenchman  of  that  class  from  which 
the  Apaches  are  recruited,  and  stepped  into  the  breach 
with  astonishing  adroitness. 

"Oh,  that's  the  trouble,  is  it?"  he  interposed.  "My  hat! 
Why,  of  course  we'll  put  you  on  the  way.  Wot's  more,  we'll 
take  you  along  and  show  you  —  won't  we,  guv'ner,  eh?  — 
so  as  you  won't  go  astray  till  you  gets  there.  'Eads  in  and 
door  shut.  Superintendent,"  bringing  the  limousine  around 
until  it  pointed  in  the  same  direction  as  the  taxicab.  "Now 
then,  straight  ahead,  and  f oiler  yer  nose,  Jules;  we'll  be 
rubbin'  shoulders  with  you  the  whole  blessed  way.  And 
as  the  Dook  of  WelHngton  said  to  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
*None  of  your  larks,  you  blighter  —  you're  a-comin'  along 
with  me!'  " 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  71 

That  he  was,  was  a  condition  of  affairs  so  inevitable  that 
the  chauffeur  made  no  attempt  to  evade  it;  merely  put  on 
speed  and  headed  straight  for  the  distant  High  Street  for 
the  purpose  of  getting  rid  of  his  escort  as  soon  as  possible; 
and  Lennard,  putting  on  speed,  likewise,  and  keeping  pace 
with  him,  ran  him  neck  and  neck,  until  the  heath  was  left 
far  and  away  behind,  the  darkness  gave  place  to  a  glitter 
of  street  lamps,  the  lonely  roads  to  populous  thoroughfares, 
and  the  way  was  left  clear  for  Cleek  to  get  off  unfollowed 
and  unmolested. 


CHAPTER  VI 

SCREENED  by  that  darkness,  and  close  sheltered  by 
the  matted  gorse  which  fringed  and  dotted  the  expanse 
of  the  nearby  heath,  he  had  been  an  interested  witness  to 
the  entire  proceeding. 

''Played,  my  lad,  played!"  he  commented,  putting  his 
thoughts  into  mumbled  words  of  laughing  approval,  as 
Lennard,  taking  the  taxicab  under  guard,  escorted  it  and 
its  occupants  out  of  the  immediate  neighbourhood;  then, 
excessive  caution  prompting  him  to  quell  even  this  Httle 
ebullition,  he  shut  up  like  an  oyster  and  neither  spoke,  nor 
moved,  nor  made  any  sound  until  the  two  vehicles  were 
represented  by  nothing  but  a  purring  noise  dwindling  away 
into  the  distance. 

When  that  time  came,  however,  he  rose,  and  facing  the 
heath,  forged  out  across  its  mist-wrapped  breadth  with  that 
long,  swinging,  soldierly  stride  peculiar  unto  him,  his  fore- 
head puckered  with  troubled  thought,  his  jaw  clamped,  and 
his  hps  compressed  until  his  mouth  seemed  nothing  more 
than  a  bleak  sht  gashed  in  a  gray,  unpleasant-looking  mask. 

But  after  a  while  the  night  and  the  time  and  the  place 
worked  their  own  spell,  and  the  troubled  look  dropped  away; 
the  dull  eyes  lighted,  the  grim  features  softened,  and  the 
curious  crooked  smile  that  w^as  Nature's  birth-gift  to  him 
broke  down  the  rigid  lines  of  the  ''bleak  sHt"  and  looped  up 
one  corner  of  his  mouth. 

It  was  magic  ground,  this  heath  —  a  place  thick  set  as  the 
Caves  of  Manheur  with  the  Sapphires  of  Memory  —  and 
to  a  nature  such  as  his  these  things  could  not  but  appeal. 

72 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  73 

Here  Dollops  had  come  into  his  life  —  a  starvelling,  an 
outcast ;  derehct  even  in  the  very  morning  time  of  youth  — 
a  bit  of  human  wreckage  that  another  ten  minutes  would 
have  seen  stranded  forever  upon  the  reefs  of  crime. 

Here,  too  —  on  that  selfsame  night,  when  the  devil  had 
been  cheated,  and  the  boy  had  gone,  and  they  two  stood 
alone  together  in  the  mist  and  darkness  —  he  had  first  laid 
aside  the  mask  of  respectability  and  told  Ailsa  Lome  the 
truth  about  himself!  Of  his  Apache  tunes  —  of  his  Van- 
ishing Cracksman's  days  —  and,  in  the  telling,  had  w^atched 
the  light  die  out  of  her  dear  eyes  and  dread  of  him  darken 
them,  when  she  knew. 

But  not  for  always,  thank  God!  For,  in  later  days  — 
when  Time  had  lessened  the  shock,  when  she  came  to  know 
him  better,  when  the  threads  of  their  two  lives  had  become 
more  closely  woven,  and  the  hope  had  grown  to  be  some- 
thing more  than  a  mere  possibility     .     .     . 

He  laughed  aloud,  remembering,  and  with  a  sudden  rush 
of  animal  spirits  twitched  off  his  hat,  flung  it  up  and  caught 
it  as  it  fell,  after  the  manner  of  a  happy  boy. 

God,  what  a  world  —  what  a  glorious,  glorious  world! 
All  things  were  possible  in  it  if  a  man  but  walked  straight 
and  knew  how  to  wait. 

Well,  please  God,  a  part,  at  least,  of  his  long  waiting 
would  be  over  in  another  month.  She  would  be  back  in 
England  then  —  her  long  visit  to  the  Hawksleys  ended  and 
nothing  before  her  now  but  the  pleasant  excitement  of 
trousseau  days.  For  the  coming  autumn  would  see  the  final 
act  of  restitution  made,  the  last  Vanishing  Cracksman  debt 
paid,  to  the  uttermost  farthing;  and  when  that  time  came 
c  . '  .  He  flung  up  his  hat  again  and  shouted  from  sheer 
excess  of  joy,  and  forged  on  through  the  mist  and  darkness 
whistling. 

His  way  lay  across  the  great  common  to  the  Vale  of 
Health  district,  and  thence  down  a  slanting  road  and  a  slop- 


74  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

ing  street  to  the  Hampstead  Heath  Station  of  the  Tube 
Railway,  and  he  covered  the  distance  to  such  good  effect 
that  half -past  eleven  found  him  "down  under,"  swaying  to 
the  rhythmic  movement  of  an  electric  train  and  arrowing 
through  the  earth  at  a  lively  clip. 

Ten  minutes  later  he  changed  over  to  yet  another  under- 
ground system,  swung  on  for  half  an  hour  or  so  through 
gloom  and  bad  air  and  the  musty  smell  of  a  damp  tunnel 
before  the  drop  of  the  land  and  the  rise  of  the  roadbed  car- 
ried the  train  out  into  the  open  and  the  air  came  fresh  and 
sweet  and  pure,  as  God  made  it,  over  field  and  flood  and 
dewy  garden  spaces;  and  away  to  the  west  a  prickle  of  lights 
on  a  quiet  river  told  where  the  stars  mirrored  themselves  in 
the  glass  of  Father  Thames. 

At  a  toy  station  in  the  hush  and  loneliness  of  the  pleasant 
country  ways  his  long  ride  came  to  an  end  at  last,  and  he 
swung  off  into  the  balm  and  fragrance  of  the  night  to  face 
a  two-mile  walk  along  quiet,  shadow-filled  lanes  and  over 
wet  wastes  of  young  bracken  to  a  wee  little  house  in  the 
heart  of  a  green  wilderness,  with  a  high-walled,  old-world 
garden  surrounding  it,  and,  in  the  far  background,  a  gloom 
of  woodland  smeared  in  darker  purple  against  the  purple 
darkness  of  the  sky. 

No  light  shone  out  from  the  house  to  greet  him  —  no  light 
could  come  from  behind  that  screening  wall,  unless  it  were 
one  set  in  an  upper  window  —  yet  he  was  certain  the  place 
was  not  deserted;  for,  as  he  came  up  out  of  the  darkness, 
catlike  of  tread  and  catlike  of  ear,  he  was  willing  to  swear 
that  he  could  catch  the  sound  of  some  one  moving  about 
restlessl;^  in  the  shadow  of  that  high,  brick  wall  —  and  the 
experiences  of  the  night  made  him  cautious  of  things  that 
moved  in  darkness. 

He  stopped  short,  and  remained  absolutely  still  for  half  a 
minute,  then,  stooping,  swished  his  hand  through  the 
bracken  in  excellent  imitation  of  a  small  animal  running. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  75 

und  shrilled  out  a  note  that  was  uncannily  like  the  death 
squeal  of  a  stoat-caught  rabbit. 

*' Gawd's  truth,  guv'ner,  is  it  you  at  last,  sir?  And  me 
never  seein'  nor  hearin'  a  blessed  thing!"  spoke  a  voice  in 
answer,  from  the  wall's  foot;  then  a  latch  clicked  and,  as 
Cleek  rose  to  his  feet,  a  garden  door  swung  inward,  a  rec- 
tangle of  light  shone  in  the  darkness,  and  silhouetted  against 
it  stood  Dollops. 

*'What  are  you  doing  out  here  at  this  time  of  night,  you 
young  monkey?  Don't  you  know  it's  almost  one  o'clock?  " 
said  Cleek,  as  he  went  forward  and  joined  the  boy. 

"Don't  I  know  it,  says  you?  Don't  1  justr^  he  gave 
back.  "There  aren't  a  minute  since  the  night  come  on 
that  I  haven' t  counted,  sir  —  not  a  bloomin'  one;  and  if  you 

hadn't  turned  up  just  as  you  did Well,  let  that  pass, 

as  the  Suffragette  said  when  she  heaved  'arf  a  brick  through 
the  shop  window.  Gawd's  truth,  guv'ner,  do  you  reahse 
that  you've  been  gone  since  yesterday  afternoon  and  I 
haven't  heard  a  word  from  you  in  all  that  time?" 

"Well,  what  of  that?  It's  not  the  first  time  by  dozens 
that  I've  done  the  same  thing.  Why  should  it  worry  you 
at  this  late  day?    Look  here,  my  young  man,  you're  not 

developing  'nerves'  are  you?     Because,  if  you  are  

Turn  round  and  let's  have  a  look  at  you !  Why,  you  are  as 
pale  as  a  ghost,  you  young  beggar,  and  shaking  like  a  leaf. 
Anything  wrong  with  you,  old  chap?  " 

"Not  as  I  knows  of,"  returned  Dollops,  making  a  brave 
attempt  to  smile  and  be  his  old  happy-go-lucky,  whimsical 
self,  albeit  he  wasn't  carrying  it  off  quite  successfully,  for 
there  was  a  droop  to  his  smile  and  a  sort  of  whimper  under- 
lying his  voice,  and  Cleek's  keen  eyes  saw  that  his  hand 
groped  about  blindly  in  its  effort  to  find  the  fastenings  of 
the  garden  door. 

"Leastwise,  nothing  as  matters  now  that  you  are  here, 
sir.     And  I  am  glad  yer  back,  guv'ner  —  Lawd,  yuss! 


76  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

'No thin'  like  company  to  buck  you  up/  as  the  bull  said 
when  he  tossed  the  tinker;  so  of  course " 

''Here!  You  let  those  fastenings  alone.  I'll  attend  to 
them ! "  rapped  in  Cleek's  voice  with  a  curious  note  of  alarm 
in  it,  as  he  moved  briskly  forward  and  barred  and  locked 
the  wall  door.  *'  If  I  didn't  know  that  eating,  not  druiking, 
was  your  particular  faiUng " 

Here  he  stopped,  his  half-uttered  comment  cut  into  by  a 
bleating  cry,  and  he  screwed  round  to  face  a  startling  situa- 
tion. For  there  was  Dollops,  leaning  heavily  against  a 
flowering  almond  tree,  his  face  hke  a  dead  face  for  colour. 
and  his  fingers  clawing  frantically  at  the  lower  part  of  his 
waistcoat,  doubhng  and  twisting  in  the  throes  of  an  internal 
convulsion. 

The  gravelled  pathway  gave  forth  two  sharp  scrunches, 
and  Cleek  was  just  in  time  to  catch  him  as  he  lurched  for- 
ward and  sprawled  heavily  against  him.  The  man's  arms 
closed  instinctively  about  the  twisting,  sweat-drenched, 
helpless  shape,  and  with  great  haste  and  infinite  tenderness 
gathered  it  up  and  carried  it  into  the  house;  but  he  had 
scarcely  more  than  laid  the  boy  upon  a  sofa  and  fit  the  lamp 
of  the  small  apartment  which  served  them  as  a  general  liv- 
ing-room, when  all  the  agony  of  uncertainty  which  beset 
his  mind  regarding  the  genesis  of  this  terrifying  attack 
vanished  in  a  sudden  rush  of  enlightenment. 

All  that  was  left  of  a  bounteous  and  strikingly  diversified 
afternoon  tea  still  littered  the  small  round  dining  table,  and 
there,  on  one  plate,  lay  the  shells  of  two  crabs,  on  another, 
the  remains  of  a  large  rhubarb  tart,  on  a  third,  the  skins  of 
five  bananas  leaning  coquettishly  up  against  the  lid  of  an 
open  pickle  jar,  and  hard  by  there  was  a  pint  tumbler  with 
the  white  blur  of  milk  dimming  it. 

''  Good  Lord !  The  young  anaconda ! "  blurted  out  Cleek, 
as  he  stood  and  stared  at  this  appalling  array.  ''No  won- 
der, no  wonder !"  Then  he  turned  round  on  his  heel,  looked 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  77 

at  the  writhing  and  moaning  boy,  and  in  a  sudden  fever  of 
doing,  peeled  off  his  coat,  rolled  up  his  sleeves,  and  made  a 
bolt  for  the  kitchen  stove,  the  hot-water  kettle,  and  the 
medicine  chest. 

The  result  of  Master  Dollops'  little  gastronomic  experi- 
ment scarcely  needs  to  be  recorded.  It  is  sufficient  to  say 
that  he  had  the  time  of  his  Hfe  that  night;  that  he  kept  Cleek 
busy  every  minute  for  the  next  twenty-four  hours  wringing 
out  flannels  in  hot  water  and  dosing  him  with  homely  rem- 
edies, and  that  when  he  finally  came  through  the  siege 
was  as  limp  as  a  wet  newspaper  and  as  feeble  as  a  good  many 
dry  ones. 

*' What  you  need  to  pull  yourself  together  is  a  change,  you 
reckless  young  ostrich  —  a  week's  roughing  it  in  the  open 
country  by  field  and  stream,  and  as  many  miles  as  possible 
from  so  much  as  the  odour  of  a  pastry  cook's  shop,"  said 
Cleek,  patting  him  gently  upon  the  shoulder.  "A  nice  sort 
of  assistant  you  are  —  keeping  a  man  out  of  his  bed  for 
twenty-four  hours,  with  his  heart  in  his  mouth  and  his  hair 
on  end,  you  young  beggar.  Now,  now,  now!  None  of 
your  blubbing !  Sit  tight  while  I  run  down  and  make  some 
gruel  for  you.  After  that  I'll  nip  out  and  'phone  through  to 
the  Yard  and  tell  Mr.  Narkom  to  have  somebody  look  up  a 
caravan  that  can  be  hired,  and  we'll  be  off  for  a  week's 
^gypsying'  in  Yorkshire,  old  chap." 

He  did  —  coming  back  later  with  a  piece  of  surprising 
news.  For  it  just  so  happened  that  the  idea  of  a  week's 
holiday-making,  a  week's  rambhng  about  the  green  lanes, 
the  broad  moors,  and  through  the  wild  gorges  of  the  West 
Riding,  and  living  the  simple  life  in  a  caravan,  appealed  to 
Mr.  Maverick  Narkom  as  being  the  most  desirable  thing 
in  the  world  at  that  moment,  and  he  made  haste  to  ask 
Cleek's  permission  to  share  the  holiday  with  him.  As 
nothing  could  have  been  more  to  his  great  ally's  Hking,  the 
»<natter  was  settled  forthwith.  A  caravan  was  hired  by  tele- 


78  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

gram  to  Sheffield,  and  at  ten  the  next  morning  the  Kttle 
party  turned  its  back  upon  London  and  fared  forth  to  the 
pleasant  country  lands,  the  charm  of  laughing  waters,  and 
the  magic  that  hides  in  trees. 

For  five  days  they  led  an  absolutely  idylHc  hf e ;  loafing  in 
green  wildernesses  and  sleeping  in  the  shadow  of  whispering 
woods;  and  tliis  getting  back  to  nature  proved  as  much  of  a 
tonic  to  the  two  men  as  to  the  boy  himself  —  refreshing 
both  mind  and  body,  putting  red  blood  into  their  veins,  and 
breathing  the  breath  of  God  into  their  nostrils. 

Having  amply  provisioned  the  caravan  before  starting, 
they  went  no  nearer  to  any  human  habitation  than  they 
were  obHged  to  do  in  passing  fromi  one  district  to  another; 
and  one  day  was  so  exact  a  pattern  of  the  next  that  its 
history  might  have  stood  for  them  all :  up  with  the  dawn  and 
the  birds  and  into  woodland  pool  or  tree-shaded  river ;  then 
gathering  fuel  and  making  a  fire  and  cooking  breakfast; 
then  washing  the  utensils,  harnessing  the  horses,  and  moving 
on  again  —  sometimes  Cleek  driving,  som^etimes  Narkom, 
sometimes  the  boy  —  stopping  w^hen  they  were  hungry  to 
prepare  lunch  just  as  they  had  prepared  breakfast,  then 
forging  on  again  until  they  found  some  tree-hedged  dell  or 
bosky  wood  where  they  might  spend  the  night,  crooned  to 
sleep  by  the  wind  in  the  leaves,  and  watched  over  by  the 
sentinel  stars. 

So  they  had  spent  the  miajor  part  of  the  week,  and  so  they 
might  have  spent  it  all,  but  that  chance  chose  to  thrust  them 
suddenly  out  of  idleness  into  activity,  and  to  bring  them  — ■ 
here,  in  this  Arcadia  —  face  to  face  again  with  the  evils  of 
mankind  and  the  harsh  duty  of  the  law. 

It  had  gone  nine  o'clock  on  that  fifth  night  v/hen  a  curious 
thing  happened:  they  had  halted  for  the  night  by  the 
banks  of  a  shallow,  chattering  stream  which  flowed  through 
a  wayside  spinney,  beyond  whose  clustering  treetops  they 
had  seen,  before  the  fight  failed,  the  castellated  top  of  a  dis- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  79 

tant  tower  and,  farther  afield,  the  weathercock  on  an  up- 
lifting church  spire;  they  had  supped  and  were  enjoying 
their  ease  —  the  two  men  sprawHng  at  full  length  on  the 
ground  enjoying  a  comfortable  smoke,  while  Dollops,  with 
a  mouth  harmonica,  was  doing  *' Knocked  'Em  in  the  Old 
Kent  Road,"  his  back  against  a  tree,  liis  eyes  upturned  in 
ecstasy,  his  long  legs  stretched  out  upon  the  turf,  and  his 
feet  crossed  one  over  the  other  —  and  all  about  them  was 
peace;  all  the  sordid,  money-grubbing,  crime-stained  world 
seemed  milhons  of  miles  away,  when,  of  a  sudden,  there 
came  a  swift  rush  of  bodies  —  trampling  on  dead  leaves  and 
brushing  against  Hve  ones  —  then  a  voice  cried  out  com- 
mandingly,  "Surrender  yourselves  in  the  name  of  the  king ! " 
and  scrambling  to  a  sitting  position,  they  looked  up  to  find 
themselves  confronted  by  a  constable,  a  gamekeeper,  and 
two  farm  labourers  —  the  one  with  drawn  truncheon  and 
the  other  three  with  cocked  guns. 


CHAPTER  VII 

*^  T  TULLO,  I  say!"  began  Mr.  Narkom,  in  amazement. 

XJ.  "Why,    what    the    dickens "     But   he   was 

suffered  to  get  no  farther. 

''You  mind  your  P's  and  Q's !  I  warn  you  that  anything 
you  say  will  be  used  against  you!"  interjected  sharply  and 
authoritatively  the  voice  of  the  constable.  "Hawkins, 
you  and  Marlow  keep  close  guard  over  these  chaps  while 
me  and  Mr.  Simpkins  looks  round  for  the  animal.  I  said  it 
would  be  the  work  of  g}^sies,  didn't  I  now,  Mr.  Simpkins?" 
addressing  the  gamekeeper.  "Come  on  and  let's  have  a 
look  for  the  beast.  Keep  eyes  peeled  and  gun  at  full  cock, 
Mr.  Simpkins,  and  give  un  both  barrels  if  un  makes 
to  spring  at  us.  This  be  a  sharp  capture,  Mr.  Simpkins 
—  what?" 

"Aye,  but  un  seems  to  take  it  uncommon  cool,  Mr.  Nip- 
pers —  one  on  'em's  larfiin'  fit  to  bust  hisself !"  replied  the 
gamekeeper  as  Cleek  slapped  both  thighs,  and  throwing 
back  his  head,  voiced  an  appreciative  guffaw.  "Un  doan't 
look  much  loike  gypsies  either  from  t'  little  as  Ah  can  see 
of  'em  in  this  tomfool  loight.  Wait  a  bit  till  Ah  scoop  up 
an  armful  o'  leaves  and  throw  'em  on  the  embers  o'  fire 
yon." 

He  did  so  forthwith;  and  the  moment  the  dry  leaves  fell 
on  the  remnants  of  the  fire  which  the  caravanners  had  used 
to  cook  their  evening  meal  there  was  a  gush  of  aromatic 
smoke,  a  sudden  puff,  and  then  a  broad  ribbon  of  Hght 
rushed  upward  and  dispelled  every  trace  of  darkness.  And 
by  the  aid  of  that  ribbon  of  fight  Mr.  Nippers  saw  some- 

80 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  81 

thing  which  made  him  almost  collapse  with  astonishment 
and  chagrin. 

The  great  of  the  world  may,  and  often  do,  forget  their 
meetings  with  the  small  fry,  but  the  small  fry  never  cease 
to  remember  their  meetings  with  the  great,  or  to  treasure  a 
vivid  remembrance  of  that  immortal  day  when  they  were 
privileged  to  rub  elbows  with  the  elect. 

Five  years  had  passed  since  Mrs.  Maverick  Narkom, 
seeking  a  place  wherein  to  spend  the  summer  holidays  with 
the  Httle  Narkoms  and  their  nurses,  had  let  her  choice  fall 
upon  Win  ton-Old-Bridges  and  had  dwelt  there  for  two 
whole  months.  Three  times  during  her  sojourn  her  liege 
lord  had  come  down  for  a  week-end  with  his  wife  and 
children,  and  during  one  of  these  brief  visits,  meeting  Mr. 
Ephraim  Nippers,  the  village  constable  in  the  public  high- 
way, he  had  deigned  to  stop  and  speak  to  the  man  and  to 
present  him  with  a  sixpenny  cigar. 

Times  had  changed  since  then;  Mr.  Nippers  was  now  head 
constable  for  the  district,  but  he  still  kept  that  cigar  under  a 
glass  shade  on  the  drawing-room  whatnot,  and  he  still  treas- 
ured a  vivid  recollection  of  the  great  man  who  had  given  it 
to  him  and  whom  he  now  saw  sitting  on  the  ground  with  his 
coat  off  and  his  waistcoat  unbuttoned,  his  moustache  un- 
curled, wisps  of  dried  grass  clinging  to  his  tousled  hair,  and 
all  the  dignity  of  office  conspicuous  by  its  absence. 

'^Oh,  lummy!"  said  Mr.  Nippers  with  a  gulp.  ^'Put 
down  the  hammers  of  them  guns,  you  two  —  put  'em  down 
quick!  It's  Mr.  Narkom  —  Mr.  Maverick  Narkom,  super- 
intendent at  Scotland  Yard!" 

*' Hullo!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Narkom,  shading  his  eyes  from 
the  fireHght  and  leaning  forward  to  get  a  clearer  view  of  the 
speaker.  ''How  the  dickens  do  you  know  that,  my  man? 
And  who  the  dickens  are  you,  anyway?  Can't  say  that  I 
remember  ever  seeing  your  face  before." 

Mr.  Nippers  hastened  to  explain  that  little  experience  of 


82  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

five  years  ago;  but  the  circumstance  which  had  impressed 
itself  so  deeply  upon  his  memory  had  passed  entirely  out  of 
the  superintendent's. 

''Oh,  that's  it,  is  it?"  said  he.  ''Can't  say  that  I  recall 
the  occasion;  but  Mrs.  Narkom  certainly  did  stop  at  Win- 
ton-Old-Bridges  some  four  or  five  summers  ago,  so  of  course 
it's  possible.  By  the  way,  my  man,  what  caused  you  to 
make  this  sudden  descent  upon  us?  And  what  are  these 
chaps  who  are  with  you  bearing  arms  for?     Anything  up?  " 

"Oh,  lummy,  sir,  yes!  A  murder's  just  been  committed 
—  leastwise  it's  only  just  been  discovered;  but  it  can't  have 
been  long  since  it  was  committed,  Mr.  Narkom,  for  Miss 
Renfrew,  who  found  him,  sir,  and  give  the  alarm,  she  says  as 
the  poor  dear  gentleman  was  alive  at  a  quarter  to  eight, 
'cause  she  looked  into  the  room  at  that  time  to  ask  him  if 
there  was  anything  he  wanted,  and  he  spoke  up  and  told  her 
no,  and  went  on  with  his  figgerin'  just  the  same  as  usual." 

"As  usual?"  said  Cleek.  "Why  do  you  say  'as  usual,' 
my  friend?     Was  the  man  an  accountant  of  some  sort?  " 

"Lummy!  no,  sir.  A  great  inventor  is  what  he  is  —  or 
was,  poor  gentleman.  Reckon  you  must  'a'  heard  of  un 
some  time  or  another  —  most  everybody  has.  Nosworth 
is  the  name,  sir  —  Mr.  Septimus  Nosworth  of  the  Round 
House.  You  could  see  the  tower  of  it  over  yon  if  you  was  to 
step  out  into  the  road  and  get  clear  of  these  trees." 

Cleek  was  on  his  feet  like  a  flash. 

"Not  the  great  Septimus  Nosworth?"  he  questioned 
eagerly.  "Not  the  man  who  invented  Lithamite?  —  the 
greatest  authority  on  high  explosives  in  England?  Not  that 
Septimus  Nosworth,  surely?" 

"Aye  —  him's  the  one,  poor  gentleman.  I  thought  it 
like  as  the  name  would  be  familiar,  sir.  A  goodish  few  have 
heard  of  un,  one  way  and  another." 

"Yes,"  acquiesced  Cleek.  "Lithamite  carried  his  name 
from  one  end  of  the  globe  to  the  other;  and  his  family 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  83 

affairs  came  into  unusual  prominence  in  consequence. 
Widower,  wasn't  he?  —  hard  as  nails  and  bitter  as  gall.  Had 
an  only  son,  hadn't  he?  —  a  wild  young  blade  who  went  the 
pace:  took  up  with  chorus  girls,  music  hall  ladies,  and  per- 
sons of  that  stripe,  and  got  kicked  out  from  under  the  par- 
ental roof  in  consequence." 

^'Lirnimy,  now!  think  of  you  a-knowin'  about  all  that!" 
said  Mr.  Nippers,  in  amazement.  *'But  then,  your  bein' 
with  Mr.  Narkom  and  him  bein'  what  he  is  —  why,  of 
course!  Scotland  Yard  it  do  know  everything,  I'm  told, 
sir." 

"Yes  —  it  reads  the  papers  occasionally,  Mr.  Nippers," 
said  Cleek.  "I  may  take  it  from  your  reply,  may  I  not, 
that  I  am  correct  regarding  Mr.  Septimus  Nosworth's  son?  " 

"Indeed,  yes,  sir  —  right  as  rain.  Leastwise,  from  what 
I've  heard.  I  never  see  the  young  gentleman,  myself. 
Them  things  you  mention  happened  before  Mr.  Nosworth 
come  to  live  in  these  parts  —  a  matter  of  some  four  years 
or  more  ago.  Alwuss  had  his  laboratory  here,  sir  —  built 
it  on  the  land  he  leased  from  Sir  Ralph  Droger's  father  in  the 
early  sixties  —  and  used  to  come  over  frequent  and  shut 
hisself  in  the  Round  House  for  days  on  end ;  but  never  come 
here  to  live  until  after  that  flare-up  with  Master  Harry. 
Come  then  and  built  livin'  quarters  beside  the  Round  House 
and,  after  a  piece,  fetched  Miss  Renfrew  and  old  Patty  Dax 
over  to  live  with  un." 

"Miss  Renfrew  and  old  Patty  Dax?    Who  are  they?" 

"Miss  Renfrew  is  his  niece,  sir  —  darter  of  a  dead  sister. 
Old  Patty  Dax,  she  war  the  cook.  I  dunno  what  her  be 
now,  though  —  her  died  six  months  ago  and  un  hired  Mis- 
tress Armroyd  in  her  place.  French  piece,  her  am,  though 
bein'  widder  of  a  Lancashire  man,  and  though  I  doan't 
much  fancy  foreigners  nor  their  ways,  this  I  will  say:  her 
keeps  the  house  Hke  a  pin  and  her  cookin's  amazin'  tasty 
—  indeed,  yes." 


84  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

*' You  are  an  occasional  caller  in  the  servants'  hall,  I  see, 
Mr.  Nippers,"  said  Cleek,  serenely,  as  he  took  up  his  coat 
and  shook  it,  preparatory  to  putting  it  on.  ''I  think,  Mr. 
Narkom,  that  in  the  interests  of  the  public  at  large  it  will 
be  well  for  some  one  a  Httlemore  efficient  than  the  local  con- 
stabulary to  look  into  this  case,  so,  if  you  don't  mind  mak- 
ing yourself  a  trifle  more  presentable,  it  will  be  as  well  for 
us  to  get  Mr.  Nippers  to  show  us  the  way  to  the  scene  of 
the  tragedy.  While  you  are  doing  it  I  will  put  a  few  '  Head- 
land '  questions  to  our  friend  here  if  you  don't  mind  assur- 
ing him  that  I  am  competent  to  advise." 

*' Right  you  are,  old  chap,"  said  Narkom,  taking  his  cue. 
^'Nippers,  this  is  Mr.  George  Headland,  one  of  the  best  of 
my  Yard  detectives.  He'll  very  likely  give  you  a  tip  or  two  in 
the  matter  of  detecting  crimes,  if  you  pay  attention  to  what 
he  says." 

Nippers  "paid  attention"  forthwith.  The  idea  of  being 
in  consultation  ^\ith  any  one  connected  with  Scotland  Yard 
tickled  his  very  soul;  and,  in  fancy,  he  already  saw  his  name 
getting  into  the  newspapers  of  London,  and  his  fame  spread- 
ing far  beyond  his  native  weald. 

"I  won't  trouble  you  for  the  full  details  of  the  murder, 
Mr.  Nippers,"  said  Cleek.  ''Those,  I  fancy,  this  Miss  Ren- 
frew will  be  able  to  supply  when  I  see  her.  For  the  pres- 
ent, tell  me:  how  many  other  occupants  does  the  house  hold 
beyond  these  two  of  whom  you  have  spoken  —  Miss  Ren- 
frew and  the  cook,  Mrs.  Armroyd?  " 

''None,  sir,  but  the  scullery  maid,  Emily,  and  the  par- 
lour maid,  Clark.  But  both  of  them  is  out  to-night,  sir  — 
havin'  went  to  a  concert  over  at  Beattie  Comers.  A  friend 
of  Mistress  Armroyd's  sent  her  two  tickets,  and  her  not 
bein'  able  to  go  herself,  her  thought  it  a  pity  for  'em  to  be 
wasted,  so  her  give  'em  to  the  maids." 

"I  see,  no  male  servants  at  all,  then? " 

"No,  sir ;  not  one.     There's  Jones  —  the  handy  man  —  as 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  85 

comes  in  mornin's  to  do  the  rough  work  and  the  haulin' 
and  carryin'  and  things  Uke  that;  and  there's  the  gardener 
and  Mr.  Kemper  —  him  as  is  Mr.  Nosworth's  assistant 
in  the  laboratory,  sir  —  but  none  of  'em  is  ever  in  the  house 
after  five  o'clock.  Set  against  havin'  men  sleep  in  the  house 
was  Mr.  Nosworth  —  swore  as  never  another  should  after 
him  and  Master  Harry  had  their  fallin'  out.  Why,  sir,  he 
was  that  bitter  he'd  never  even  allow  Mr.  Charles  to  set 
foot  in  the  place,  just  because  him  and  Master  Harry  used 
to  be  friends  —  which  makes  it  precious  hard  on  Miss  Ren- 
frew, I  can  tell  you." 

^'As  how?  Is  this  'Mr.  Charles'  connected  with  Miss 
Renfrew  in  any  way?  " 

''Lummy!  yes,  sir  —  he's  her  young  man.  Been  sweet  on 
each  other  ever  since  they  was  in  pinafores;  but  never  had 
no  chance  to  marry  because  Mr.  Charles  —  Mr.  Charles 
Drummond  is  his  full  name,  sir  —  he  hasn't  one  shilKn' 
to  rub  against  another,  and  Miss  Renfrew  she's  a  Httle 
worse  off  than  him.  Never  gets  no  thin',  I'm  told,  for 
keepin'  house  for  her  uncle  —  just  her  food  and  lodgin'  and 
clothes  —  and  her  slavin'  like  a  nigger  for  him  the  whole 
blessed  time.  Keeps  his  books  and  superintends  the  runnin' 
of  the  house,  she  do,  but  never  gets  a  brass  farthin'  for  it, 
poor  girl.  I  don't  like  to  speak  ill  of  the  dead,  Mr.  Head- 
land, sir,  but  this  I  must  say:  A  rare  old  skinflint  was  Mr. 
Septimus  Nosworth  —  wouldn't  part  with  a  groat  unless 
un  was  forced  to.  But  praise  be,  her'll  get  her  dues  now; 
fegs,  yes!  unless  old  skinflint  went  and  changed  his  will 
without  her  knowin'." 

"Oho!"  said  Cleek,  with  a  strong  rising  inflection.  *'His 
will  was  made  in  Miss  Renfrew's  favour,  was  it?  " 

"Aye.  That's  why  her  come  and  put  up  with  un  and  all 
his  hardheartedness  —  denyin'  her  the  pleasure  o'  ever 
seein'  her  young  man  just  because  him  and  Master  Harry 
had  been  friends  and  playmates  when  t'  pair  of  un  was  just 


86  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

boys  in  knickers  and  broad  collars.  There  be  a  stone  heart 
for  you.'' 

*' Rather.  Now  one  more  question:  I  think  you  said  it 
was  Miss  Renfrew  who  gave  the  alarm  when  the  murder 
was  discovered,  Mr.  Nippers.  How  did  she  give  it  and  to 
whom?" 

"Eh,  now!  to  me  and  Mistress  Armroyd,  of  course.  Me 
and  her  war  sittin'  in  the  kitchen  havin'  a  bite  o'  supper  at 
the  time.  Gorham,  he  war  there,  too,  in  the  beginnin';  but 
un  didn't  stop,  of  course  —  'twouldn't  'a'  done  for  the  pair 
of  us  to  be  oft"  duty  together." 

"Oh!  is  Gorham  a  constable,  then?" 

"Aye  —  under  constable:  second  to  me.  Got  un  ap- 
pointed six  months  ago.  Him  had  just  gone  a  bit  of  a  time 
when  Miss  Renfrew  come  rushin'  in  and  shrieked  out  about 
the  murder;  but  he  heard  the  rumpus  and  came  poundin' 
back,  of  course.  I  dunno  what  I'd  'a'  done  if  un  hadn't,  for 
Miss  Renfrew  her  went  from  one  faintin'  fit  to  another  — 
'twas  just  orful.  Gorham  helped  Ah  to  carry  her  up  to  the 
sittin'-room,  wheer  Mistress  Armroyd  burnt  feathers  under 
her  nose,  and  when  we'd  got  her  round  a  bit  we  all  three 
went  outside  and  round  to  the  laboratory.  That's  when  we 
first  see  the  prints  of  the  animal's  feet.  Mistress  Armroyd 
spied  'em  first  —  all  over  the  flower  bed  just  under  the 
laboratory  window." 

"Oho!  then  that  is  what  you  meant  when  you  alluded  to 
an  'animal'  when  you  pounced  down  upon  us,  was  it?  I 
see.  One  v/ord  more:  what  kind  of  an  animal  was  it?  Or 
couldn't  you  tell  from  the  marks?  " 

"No,  sir,  I  couldn't  —  nobody  could  unless  it  might  be 
Sir  Ralph  Droger.  He'll  be  like  to,  if  anybody.  Keeps  all 
sorts  of  animals  and  birds  and  things  in  great  cages  in 
Droger  Park,  does  Sir  Ralph.  One  thing  I  can  swear  to, 
though,  sir:  they  warn't  like  the  footprints  of  any  animal 
as  I  ever  see.   Theer  be  a  picture  o'  St.  Jarge  and  the  Dragon 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  87 

on  the  walls  o'  Town  Hall  at  Birchampton,  Mr.  Head- 
land, sir,  and  them  footprints  is  more  like  the  paws  of  that 
dragon  than  anything  else  I  can  call  to  mind.  Scaly  and 
clawed  they  is  —  like  the  thing  as  made  'em  was  part  bird 
and  part  beast  —  and  they're  a  good  twelve  inches  long, 
every  one  of  'em." 

"Hum-m-m!  That's  extraordinary.  Deeply  imprinted, 
are  they?" 

''Lummy!  yes,  sir.  The  animal  as  made  'em  must  have 
weighed  ten  or  twelve  stone  at  least.  Soon  as  I  see  them, 
sir,  I  knowed  I  had  my  work  cut  out,  so  I  left  Gorham  in 
charge  of  the  house,  rattled  up  these  two  men  and  Mr.  Simp- 
kins,  here  —  which  all  three  is  employed  at  Droger  Park, 
sir  —  and  set  out  hot  foot  to  look  for  gypsies." 

''Why?" 

'"Cause  Mistress  Armroyd  she  says  as  she  see  a  gypsy 
lurkin'  round  the  place  just  before  dark,  sir;  and  he  had  a 
queer  thing  Hke  a  bear's  muzzle  in  his  hand." 

"Ah,  I  see!"  said  Cleek;  and  gave  one  of  his  odd  smiles 
as  he  turned  round  and  looked  at  the  superintendent.  "All 
ready,  Mr.  Narkom?  Good!  Let  us  go  over  to  the  Round 
House  and  investigate  this  interesting  case.  Dollops,  stop 
where  3^ou  are  and  look  after  the  caravan.  If  we  are  away 
more  than  a  couple  of  hours,  tumble  into  bed  and  go  to 
sleep.  We  may  be  a  short  time  or  we  may  be  a  long  one. 
In  affairs  Hke  this  one  never  knows." 

"Any  ideas,  old  chap?"  queried  Narkom  in  a  whisper  as 
they  forged  along  together  in  the  wake  of  Nippers  and  his 
three  companions. 

"Yes  —  a  great  many,"  answered  Cleek.  "  I  am  particu- 
larly anxious,  Mr.  Narkom,  to  have  a  look  at  those  foot- 
prints and  an  interview  with  Miss  Renfrew.  I  want  to 
meet  that  young  lady  very  much  indeed." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TWENTY  minutes  later  his  desires  in  that  respect  were 
granted;  and,  having  been  introduced  by  Mr.  Nip- 
pers to  the  Uttle  gathering  in  the  sitting-room  of  the  house  of 
disaster  as  "a  friend  of  mine  from  Scotland  Yard,  miss," 
he  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  one  of  those  meek-faced, 
dove-eyed,  "mousy"  Httle  bodies  who  seem  born  to  be  "pa- 
tient Griseldas";  and  in  looking  at  her  he  was  minded  of  thp 
description  of  "Lady  Jane"  in  the  poem: 

"Her  pulse  was  slow,  milk  white  her  skin  — 
She  had  not  blood  enough  to  sin." 

Years  of  repression  had  told  upon  her,  and  she  looked 
older  than  she  really  was  —  so  old  and  so  dragged  out,  in 
fact,  that  Mrs.  Armroyd,  the  cook,  appeared  youthful  and 
attractive  in  contrast.  Indeed,  it  was  no  wonder  that  Mr. 
Ephraim  Nippers  had  been  attracted  by  that  good  soul; 
for,  although  her  hair  was  streaked  with  gray,  and  her  figure 
was  of  the  "sack  of  flour"  order,  and  her  eyes  were  assisted 
in  their  offices  by  a  pair  of  steel-bowed  spectacles,  her  face 
was  still  youthful  in  contour,  and  Mr.  Narkom,  looking  at 
her,  concluded  that  at  twenty-four  or  twenty-five  she  must 
have  been  a  remarkably  pretty  and  remarkably  fascinating 
woman.  What  Cleek's  thoughts  were  upon  that  subject 
it  is  impossible  to  record ;  for  he  merely  gave  her  one  look  on 
coming  into  the  room,  and  then  took  no  further  notice  of  her 
whatsoever. 

^'Indeed,  Mr.  Headland,  I  am  glad  —  I  am  very,  very 

88 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  89 

glad  —  that  fortune  has  sent  you  into  this  neighbourhood 
at  this  terrible  time,"  said  Miss  Renfrev^r  when  Cleek  was 
introduced.  ''I  do  not  wish  to  say  anything  disparaging  of 
Mr.  Nippers,  but  you  can  see  for  yourself  how  unfitted  such 
men  as  he  and  his  assistant  are  to  handle  an  affair  of  this 
importance.  Indeed,  I  cannot  rid  my  mind  of  the  thought 
that  if  more  competent  poHce  were  on  duty  here  the  murder 
would  not  have  happened.  In  short,  that  the  assassin, 
whoever  he  maybe,  counted  upon  the  blundering  methods  of 
these  men  as  his  passport  to  safety." 

''My  own  thought  precisely,"  said  Cleek.  ''Mr.  Nip- 
pers has  given  me  a  brief  outKne  of  the  affair  —  would  you 
mind  giving  me  the  full  details,  Miss  Renfrew?  At  what 
hour  did  Mr.  Nosworth  go  into  his  laboratory?  Or  don't 
you  know,  exactly?" 

"Yes,  I  know  to  the  fraction  of  a  moment,  Mr.  Headland. 
I  was  looking  at  my  watch  at  the  time.  It  was  exactly 
eight  minutes  past  seven.  We  had  been  going  over  the 
monthly  accounts  together,  when  he  suddenly  got  up,  and 
without  a  word  walked  through  that  door  over  there.  It 
leads  to  a  covered  passage  connecting  the  house  proper  with 
the  laboratory.  That,  as  you  may  have  heard,  is  a  cir- 
cular building  with  a  castellated  top.  It  was  built  wholly 
and  solely  for  the  carrying  on  of  his  experiments.  There 
is  but  one  floor  and  one  window  —  a  very  small  one  about 
six  feet  from  the  ground,  and  on  the  side  of  the  Round  House 
which  looks  away  from  this  building.  Nothing  but  the 
door  to  that  is  on  this  side,  light  being  supplied  to  the  in- 
terior by  a  roof  made  entirely  of  heavy  corrugated  glass." 

*'I  see.     Then  the  place  is  like  a  huge  tube." 

"Exactly  —  and  Hned  entirely  with  chilled  steel.  Such 
few  wooden  appliances  as  are  necessary  for  the  equipment 
of  the  place  are  thickly  coated  with  asbestos.  I  made  no 
comment  when  my  uncle  rose  and  walked  in  there  without 
a  word.     I  never  did.     For  the  past  six  or  seven  months 


90  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

he  had  been  absorbed  in  working  out  the  details  of  a  new 
invention;  and  I  had  become  used  to  his  jumping  up  like 
that  and  leaving  me.  We  never  have  supper  in  this  house 
—  my  uncle  always  called  it  a  useless  extravagance.  In- 
stead, we  defer  tea  until  six  o'clock  and  make  that  the  final 
meal  of  the  day.  It  was  exactly  five  minutes  to  seven  when 
I  finished  my  accounts,  and  as  I  had  had  a  hard  day  of  it, 
I  decided  to  go  to  bed  early,  after  ha\dng  first  taken  a  walk 
as  far  as  the  old  bridge  where  I  hoped  that  somebody  would 
be  waiting  for  me." 

"I  know,"  said  Cleek,  gently.  ^'I  have  heard  the  story. 
It  would  be  Mr.  Charles  Drummond,  would  it  not?" 

^'Yes.  He  was  not  there,  however.  Something  must 
have  prevented  his  coming." 

"Hum-m-ml     Go  on,  please." 

''Before  leaving  the  house,  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  ought 
to  look  into  the  laboratory  and  see  if  there  was  anything  my 
uncle  would  be  hkely  to  need  for  the  night,  as  I  intended  to 
go  straightway  to  bed  on  my  return.  I  did  so.  He  was 
sitting  at  his  desk,  immediately  under  the  one  window  of 
which  I  have  spoken,  and  with  his  back  to  me,  when  I  looked 
in.  He  answered  my  inquiry  with  a  curt  '  No  —  nothing. 
Get  out  and  don't  worry  me ! '  I  immediately  shut  the  door 
and  left  him,  returning  here  by  way  of  the  covered  passage 
and  going  upstairs  to  make  some  necessary  changes  in  my 
dress  for  the  walk  to  the  old  bridge.  When  I  came  down, 
ready  for  my  journey,  I  looked  at  the  clock  on  the  mantel 
over  there.  It  was  exactly  seventeen  minutes  to  eight 
o'clock.  I  had  been  a  Httle  longer  in  dressing  than  I  had 
anticipated  being;  so,  in  order  to  save  time  in  getting  to  the 
trysting  place,  I  concluded  to  make  a  short  cut  by  going 
out  of  the  rear  door  and  crossing  diagonally  through  our 
grounds  instead  of  going  by  the  pubUc  highway  as  usual. 
I  had  scarcely  more  than  crossed  the  threshold  when  I  ran 
plump  into  Constable  Gorham.     As  he  is  rather  a  favourite 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  91 

with  good  Mrs.  Armroyd  here,  I  fancied  that  he  had  been 
paying  her  a  visit,  and  was  just  coming  away  from  the 
kitchen.  Instead,  he  rather  startled  me  by  stating  that  he 
had  seen  something  which  he  thought  best  to  come  round 
and  investigate.  In  short,  that,  as  he  was  patrolKng  the 
highway,  he  had  seen  a  man  vault  over  the  wall  of  our 
grounds  and,  bending  down,  dart  out  of  sight  like  a  hare. 
He  was  almost  positive  that  that  man  was  Sir  Ralph  Drogei 
Of  course  that  frightened  me  almost  out  of  my  wits." 

''Why?" 

''There  was  bad  blood  between  my  uncle  and  Sir  Ralph 
Droger  —  bitter,  bad  blood.  As  you  perhaps  know,  my 
uncle  held  this  ground  on  a  hfe  lease  from  the  Droger  estate. 
That  is  to  say,  so  long  as  he  lived  or  refused  to  vacate  that 
lease,  no  Droger  could  oust  him  nor  yet  Hft  one  spadeful 
of  earth  from  the  property." 

"Does  Sir  Ralph  desire  to  do  either?  " 

"He  desires  to  do  both.  •  Borings  secretly  made  have 
manifested  the  fact  that  both  Barnsley  thick-coal  and  iron 
ore  underhe  the  place.  Sir  Ralph  wishes  to  tear  down  the 
Round  House  and  this  building  and  to  begin  mining  opera- 
tions. My  uncle,  who  has  been  offered  the  full  value  of 
every  stick  and  stone,  has  always  obstinately  refused  to 
budge  one  inch  or  to  lessen  the  lease  by  one  half  hour.  'It 
is  for  the  term  of  my  life,'  he  has  always  said,  'and  for  the 
term  of  my  Hfe  I'll  hold  it!'  " 

"Oho!"  said  Cleek;  and  then  puckered  up  his  lips  as  if 
about  to  whistle. 

"Under  such  circumstances,"  went  on  Miss  Renfrew, 
"it  was  only  natural  that  I  should  be  horribly  frightened, 
and  only  too  willing  to  act  upon  the  constable's  suggestion 
that  we  at  once  look  into  the  Round  House  and  see  if  every- 
thing was  right  with  my  uncle." 

"Why  should  the  constable  suggest  that?" 

"Everybody  in  the  neighbourhood  knows  of  the  bitter 


92  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 


ill  feeling  existing  between  the  two  men;  so,  of  course,  it 
was  only  natural." 

''Huni-m-m!  Yes!  Just  so.  Did  you  act  on  Con- 
stable Gorham's  suggestion,  then?" 

*'Yes.  I  led  the  way  in  here  and  then  up  the  covered 
passage  to  the  laboratory  and  opened  the  door.  My  uncle 
was  sitting  exactly  as  he  had  been  when  I  looked  in  before 
—  his  back  to  me  and  his  face  to  the  window  —  but  al- 
though he  did  not  turn,  it  was  evident  that  he  was  annoyed 
by  my  disturbing  him,  for  he  growled  angrily,  'What  the 
devil  are  you  coming  in  here  and  disturbing  me  like  this 
for,  Jane?     Get  out  and  leave  me  alone.' " 

''Hum-m-m!"  said  Cleek,  drawing  dowTi  his  brows  and 
pinching  his  chin.     ''Any  mirrors  in  the  Round  House?" 

"Mirrors?     No,  certainly  not,  Mr.  Headland.     WTiy?" 

"Nothing  —  only  that  I  was  wondering,  if  as  you  say,  he 
never  turned  and  you  never  spoke,  how  in  the  world  he 
knew  that  it  really  was  you,  that's  all." 

"Oh,  I  see  what  you  mean,"  said  Miss  Renfrew,  knot- 
ting up  her  brows.  "It  does  seem  a  little  peculiar  when 
one  looks  at  it  in  that  way.  I  never  thought  of  it  before. 
Neither  can  I  explain  it,  Mr.  Headland,  any  more  than  to 
say  that  I  suppose  he  took  it  for  granted.  And,  as  it  hap- 
pened, he  was  right.  Besides,  as  you  will  remember,  I  had 
intruded  upon  him  only  a  short  time  before." 

"Quite  so,"  said  Cleek.  "That's  what  makes  it  appear 
stranger  than  ever.  Under  the  circumstances  one  might 
have  expected  him  to  say  not  'What  are  you  coming  in  here 
for,'  but,  'What  are  you  coming  in  for  again.'  Still,  of 
course,  there's  no  accounting  for  Httle  lapses  like  that.  Go 
on,  please  —  what  next?  " 

"Why,  of  course  I  immediately  explained  what  Constable 
Gorham  had  said,  and  why  I  had  looked  in.  To  which  he 
rephed,  'The  man's  an  ass.  Get  out!'  Upon  which  I 
closed  the  door,  and  the  constable  and  I  went  away  at  once." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  93 

'^  Constable  there  with  you  during  it  all,  then?  " 

*'Yes,  certainly  —  in  the  covered  passage,  just  behind 
me.  He  saw  and  heard  everything;  though,  of  course, 
neither  of  us  actually  entered  the  laboratory  itself.  There 
was  really  no  necessity  when  we  knew  that  my  uncle  was 
safe  and  sound,  you  see." 

^' Quite  so,"  agreed  Cleek.  ''So  you  shut  the  door  and 
went  away  —  and  then  what?  " 

''Constable  Gorham  went  back  to  his  beat,  and  I  flew 
as  fast  as  I  could  to  meet  Mr.  Drummond.  It  is  only  a 
short  way  to  the  old  bridge  at  best,  and  by  taking  that  short 
cut  through  the  grounds,  I  was  there  in  less  than  ten  minutes. 
And  by  half-past  eight  I  was  back  here  in  a  greater  state 
of  terror  than  before." 

"And  why?  Were  you  so  much  alarmed  that  Mr.  Drum- 
mond did  not  keep  the  appointment?  " 

"No.  That  did  not  worry  me  at  all.  He  is  often  unable 
to  keep  his  appointments  with  me.  He  is  filling  the  post  of 
private  secretary  to  a  large  company  promoter,  and  his  time 
is  not  his  own.  What  terrified  me  was  that,  after  waiting 
a  few  minutes  for  him,  I  heard  somebody  running  along  the 
road,  and  a  few  moments  later  Sir  Ralph  Droger  flew  by  me 
as  if  he  were  being  pursued.  Under  ordinary  circumstances 
I  should  have  thought  that  he  was  getting  into  training  for 
the  autumn  sports  (  he  is,  you  may  know,  very  keen  on 
athletics,  and  holds  the  County  Club's  cup  for  running 
and  jumping),  but  when  I  remembered  what  Constable 
Gorham  had  said,  and  saw  that  Sir  Ralph  was  coming  from 
the  direction  of  this  house,  all  my  wits  flew;  I  got  into  a 
sort  of  panic  and  almost  collapsed  with  fright." 

"And  all  because  the  man  was  coming  from  the  direction 
of  this  house?" 

"Not  that  alone,"  she  answered  with  a  shudder.  "I 
have  said  that  I  should  under  ordinary  circumstances  have 
thought  he  was  merely  training  for  the  autumn  sports  — 


94  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

for,  you  see,  he  was  in  a  running  costume  of  white  cotton 
stuff  and  his  legs  were  bare  from  the  knee  down  —  but  as- 
he  shot  past  me  in  the  moonhght  I  caught  sight  of  something 
like  a  huge  splash  of  blood  on  his  clothes,  and  couphng  that 
with  the  rest  I  nearly  went  out  of  my  senses.  It  wasn't 
until  long  afterward  I  recollected  that  the  badge  of  the 
County  Club  is  the  winged  foot  of  Mercury  wrought  in 
brilHant  scarlet  embroidery.  To  me,  just  then,  that  thing 
of  red  was  blood  —  my  uncle's  blood  —  and  I  ran  and  ran 
and  ran  until  I  got  back  here  to  the  house  and  flew  up  the 
covered  passage  and  burst  into  the  Round  House.  He  was 
sitting  there  still  —  just  as  he  had  been  sitting  before.  But 
he  didn't  call  out  to  me  this  time;  he  didn't  reprove  me  foz 
disturbing  him;  didn't  make  one  single  movement,  utter 
one  single  sound.  And  when  I  went  to  him  I  knew  why. 
He  was  dead  —  stone  dead !  The  face  and  throat  of  him 
were  torn  and  rent  as  if  some  furious  animal  had  mauled 
Mm,  and  there  were  curious  yellow  stains  upon  his  clothes. 
That's  all,  Mr.  Headland.  I  don't  know  what  I  did  nor 
where  I  went  from  the  moment  I  rushed  shrieking  from  that 
room  until  I  came  to  my  senses  and  found  myself  in  this 
one  with  dear,  kind  Mrs.  Armroyd  here  bending  over  me  and 
doing  all  in  her  power  to  soothe  and  to  comfort  me." 

"There,  there,  cherie,  you  shall  not  more  distress  your- 
self. It  is  of  a  hardness  too  great  for  the  poor  mind  to 
bear,"  put  in  Mrs.  Armroyd  herself  at  this,  bending  over 
the  sofa  as  she  spoke  and  softly  smoothing  the  girl's  hair. 

It  is  better  she  should  be  at  peace  for  a  little,  is  it  not, 


ic 


monsieur 


?" 


Very  much  better,  madame,"  replied  Cleek,  noting  how 
softly  her  hand  fell,  and  how  gracefully  it  moved  over  the 
soft  hair  and  across  the  white  forehead.  ''No  doubt  the 
major  part  of  what  still  remains  to  be  told,  you  in  the  good- 
ness of  your  heart,  will  supply " 

"Of  a  certainty,  monsieur,  of  a  certainty." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  95 

*' —  But  for  the  present,"  continued  Cleek,  finishing  the 
interrupted  sentence,  ''there  still  remains  a  question  or 
two  which  must  be  asked,  and  which  only  Miss  Renfrew 
herself  can  answer.     As  those  are  of  a  private  and  purely 

personal  nature,  madame,  would  it  be  asking  too  much " 

He  gave  his  shoulders  an  eloquent  Frenchified  shrug,  looked 
up  at  her  after  the  manner  of  her  own  countrymen,  and  let 
the  rest  of  the  sentence  go  by  default. 

"Madame"  looked  at  him  and  gave  her  Httle  hands  an 
airy  and  a  graceful  flirt. 

"  Of  a  certainty,  monsieur,"  she  said,  with  charming  grace. 
"Cela  m^est  egal,'^  and  walked  away  with  a  step  remarkably 
light  and  remarkably  graceful  for  one  of  such  weight  and 
generous  dimensions. 

"Miss  Renfrew,"  said  Cleek,  sinking  his  voice  and  look' 
ing  her  straight  in  the  eyes,  as  soon  as  Mrs.  Armroyd  had 
left  them,  "Miss  Renfrew,  tell  me  something  please:  Have 
you  any  suspicion  regarding  the  identity  or  the  purpose  of 
the  person  who  murdered  your  uncle?  " 

"Not  in  the  sfightest,  Mr.  Headland.  Of  course,  in  the 
beginning,  my  thoughts  flew  at  once  to  Sir  Ralph  Droger, 
but  I  now  see  how  absurd  it  is  to  think  that  such  as  he " 

"I  am  not  even  hinting  at  Sir  Ralph  Droger,"  interposed 
Cleek.  "Two  other  people  in  the  world  have  a  'motive' 
quite  as  strong  as  any  that  might  be  assigned  to  him.  You, 
of  course,  feel  every  confidence  in  the  honour  and  integrity 
of  Mr.  Charles  Drummond?" 

"Mr.  Headland!" 

"Gently,  gently,  please!  I  merely  wished  to  know  if  in 
your  heart  you  had  any  secret  doubt;  and  your  flaring  up 
like  that  has  answered  me.  You  see,  one  has  to  remember 
that  the  late  Mr.  Nosworth  is  said  to  have  made  a  will  in 
your  favour.     The  statement  is  correct,  is  it  not?  " 

"To  the  best  of  my  behef  —  yes." 

"  Filed  it  with  his  soHcitors,  did  he?  " 


96  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''That  I  can't  say.  I  think  not,  however.  He  was  al- 
ways sufficient  unto  himself,  and  had  a  rooted  objection  to 
trusting  anything  of  value  to  the  care  of  any  man  living. 
Even  his  most  important  documents  —  plans  and  formulas 
of  his  various  inventions,  even  the  very  lease  of  this  prop- 
erty —  have  always  been  kept  in  the  desk  in  the  labora- 
tory." 

"Hum-m-m!"  said  Cleek,  and  pinched  his  chin  hard. 
Then,  after  a  moment.  "One  last  question,"  he  went  on 
suddenly.  "What  do  you  know,  Miss  Renfrew,  of  the 
recent  movements  of  Mr.  Harry  Nosworth  —  the  son  who 
was  kicked  out?" 

"Nothing,  absolutely  nothing!"  she  answered,  with  a 
look  of  something  akin  to  horror.  "I  know  what  you  are 
thinking  of,  but  although  he  is  as  bad  as  man  can  be,  it  is 
abominable  to  suppose  that  he  would  Hft  his  hand  against 
his  own  father." 

"Hum-m-m!  Yes,  of  course!  But  still,  it  has  been  known 
to  happen;  and,  as  you  say,  he  was  a  bad  lot.     I  ran  foul 

of  the  young  gentleman  once  when No  matter;  it 

doesn't  signify.  So  you  don't  know  anything  about  him, 
eh?" 

"Nothing,  thank  God.  The  last  I  did  hear,  he  had  gone 
on  the  stage  and  taken  up  with  some  horrible  creature,  and 
the  pair  of  them  were  subsequently  sent  to  prison  for  entic- 
ing people  to  dreadful  places  and  then  drugging  and  robbing 
them.  But  even  that  I  heard  from  an  outside  source;  for 
my  uncle  never  so  much  as  mentioned  him.  No,  I  know 
nothing  of  him  —  nothing  at  all.  In  fact,  I've  never  seen 
him  since  he  was  a  boy.  He  never  Hved  here,  you  know; 
and  until  I  came  here,  I  knew  next  to  nothing  of  my  uncle 
himself.  We  were  poor  and  Hved  in  a  quite  different  town, 
my  mother  and  I.  Uncle  Septimus  never  came  to  see  us 
while  my  mother  lived.  He  came  for  the  first  time  when 
she  was  dead  and  his  son  had  gone  away :  and  I  was  so  poor 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  ^ARD  97 

and  so  friendless  I  was  glad  to  accept  the  home  he  offered. 
No,  Mr.  Headland,  I  know  nothing  of  Harry  Nosworth. 
I  hope,  for  his  own  sake,  he  is  dead." 

Cleek  made  no  reply.  He  sat  for  a  minute  pinching  his 
chin  and  staring  at  the  carpet,  then  he  got  up  suddenly  and 
faced  round  in  the  direction  of  the  little  group  at  the  far 
end  of  the  room. 

^'That's  all  for  the  present,"  he  said.  *'Mr.  Narkom, 
Mr.  Nippers  —  get  a  Hght  of  some  sort,  please,  and  let's 
go  out  and  have  a  look  at  those  footprints." 


CHAPTER  IX 

I^HE  suggestion  was  acted  upon  immediately  —  even 
Mrs.  Armroyd  joining  in  the  descent  upon  the  port- 
able lamps  and  filing  out  with  the  rest  into  the  gloom  and 
loneliness  of  the  grounds;  and  Miss  Renfrew,  finding  that 
she  was  likely  to  be  left  alone  in  this  house  of  horrors,  rose 
quickly  and  hurried  out  with  them. 

One  step  beyond  the  threshold  brought  them  within  sight 
of  the  famous  Round  House.  Bulked  against  the  pale  silver 
of  the  moonlit  sk}^,  there  it  stood  —  a  grim,  unlovely  thing 
of  stone  and  steel  with  a  trampled  flower  bed  encircHng  the 
base  of  it,  and  a  man  on  guard  —  Constable  Gorham. 

^Xummy!  I'd  clean  forgot  him!''  exclaimed  Mr.  Nip- 
pers as  he  caught  sight  of  him.  "And  theer  un  be  keepin' 
guard,  like  I  told  un,  out  here  in  the  grounds  whiles  weem 
ben  talkin'  comfortable  inside.  'E  do  be  a  chap  for  doin' 
as  heem  tole,  that  Gorham  — indeed,  yes!" 

Nobody  replied  to  him.  All  were  busily  engaged  in 
follomng  the  lead  of  Scotland  Yard,  as  represented  by 
Cleek  and  Superintendent  Narkom,  and  bearing  down  on 
that  huge  stone  tube  within  whose  circular  walls  a  dead  man 
sat  alone. 

"Dreary  post  this.  Constable,"  said  Cleek,  coming 
abreast  of  the  silent  guard. 

"Yes,  sir,  very.  But  dooty's  dooty  —  and  there  you  be!" 
replied  Gorham,  touching  his  helmet  with  his  finger;  then, 
as  the  light  from  the  lamps  fell  full  upon  Cleek's  face  and 
let  him  see  that  it  was  no  face  he  had  ever  seen  in  this  dis- 
trict before,  his  eyes  widened  with  a  puzzled  stare  which 

98 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  99 

never  quite  left  them  even  when  the  entire  group  had  passed 
on  and  turned  the  curve  of  the  Round  House  wall. 

And  beyond  that  curve  Cleek  came  to  a  sudden  halt. 
Here,  a  curtainless  window  cut  a  square  of  light  in  the  wall's 
dark  face  and  struck  a  glare  on  the  trunk  and  the  boughs  of  a 
lime  tree  directly  opposite,  and  under  that  window  a  tramp- 
led flower  bed  lay,  with  curious  marks  deep  sunk  in  the 
soft,  moist  surface  of  it. 

Cleek  took  the  lamp  from  Mrs.  Armroyd's  hand,  and, 
bending,  looked  at  them  closely.  Mr.  Nippers  had  not 
exaggerated  when  he  said  that  they  were  all  of  twelve 
inches  in  length.  Nor  was  he  far  out  when  he  declared  that 
they  looked  like  the  footprints  of  some  creature  that  was 
part  animal  and  part  bird;  for  there  they  were,  with  three 
huge  clawhke  projections  in  front  and  a  solitary  one  behind, 
and  so  like  to  the  mark  which  a  gigantic  bird  could  have 
made  that  one  might  have  said  such  a  creature  had  made 
them,  only  that  it  was  impossible  for  anything  to  fly  that 
was  possessed  of  weight  sufflcient  to  drive  those  huge 
footprints  so  deeply  into  the  earth  as  they  had  been  driven, 
by  the  mere  walking  of  the  Thing.  Claws  and  the  marks  of 
scales,  Mr.  Nippers  had  asserted;  and  claws  and  the  marks 
of  scales  the  prints  in  the  soft  earth  showed. 

^'La!  la!  the  horror  of  them,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Arm- 
royd,  putting  up  her  Httle  hands  and  averting  her  face.  ' '  It 
could  kill  and  kill  and  kill  —  horses,  oxen,  anything  —  an 
abominable  creature  like  that!  What  do  you  figure  it  to 
have  been,  monsieur?  —  souls  of  the  saints,  what?^^ 

''Blest  if  I  know,"  said  Cleek.  "Only,  of  course,  it 
couldn't  possibly  be  anything  human;  so  we  may  put  the 
idea  of  the  old  chap  having  been  killed  by  anything  of  his 
kind  out  of  our  minds  altogether.  It  is  perfectly  clear  that 
the  creature,  whatever  it  might  be,  got  in  through  the  win- 
dow there  (you  see  it  is  open)  and  killed  him  before  he 
could  call  out  for  help  or  strike  a  blow  in  his  own  defence." 


100      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Eh,  but  window's  six  foot  up,  Mr.  Headland,  sir," 
put  in  Nippers  excitedly;  "and  howm  a  thing  the  weight  o' 
that  goin'  to  fly  in?" 

"Didn't  fly  in,  my  friend,"  replied  Cleek  with  an  air  of 
lofty  superiority.  "Use  your  wits,  man.  It  jumped  in  — 
from  the  tree  there.  Look  here  —  seel"  going  to  it  and 
tapping  certain  abrasions  upon  the  trunk.  "Here's  where 
it  peeled  off  the  bark  in  climbing  up.  Lord,  man!  why,  it's 
plain  as  the  nose  on  your  face.  Ten  to  one  we  shall  find 
the  same  sort  of  footprints  when  we  go  into  the  laboratory 
■ —  damp  ones,  you  know,  from  the  moisture  of  the  earth; 
and  to  make  sure,  in  case  we  do  find  'em  let's  take  the 
length  of  the  things  and  see.  Got  a  tape  m.easure  with  you? 
No?  Oh,  well,  lend  me  your  handcuffs,  if  you've  got  a 
pair  with  you,  and  we  Qan  manage  a  measurement  with 
those.  Thanks  very  much.  Now,  then,  let's  see.  One, 
two,  three,  by  Jupiter  —  three  fingers  longer  than  these 
things,  chain  and  all.  That'll  do.  Now,  then,  let's  go 
in  and  see  about  the  others.  Lead  the  way,  Miss  Renfrew, 
if  you  will.'* 

She  would,  and  did.  Leading  the  way  back  to  the  cov- 
ered passage,  she  opened  a  door  in  the  side  of  it  —  a  door 
designed  to  let  the  inventor  out  into  the  grounds  without 
going  through  the  house,  if  he  so  desired  —  and  conducted 
them  to  the  laboratory,  leaving  Constable  Gorham  to  con- 
tinue his  dreary  sentry  duty  outside. 

At  any  time  the  interior  of  that  huge,  stone-walled,  steel- 
lined  tube  must  have  been  unlovely  and  depressing  to  all 
but  the  man  who  laboured  in  it.  But  to-night,  with  that 
man  sitting  dead  in  it,  with  his  face  to  the  open  wdndow,  a 
lamp  beside  him,  and  stiff  hands  resting  on  the  pages  of  a 
book  that  lay  open  on  the  desk's  flat  top,  it  was  doubly  so; 
for,  added  to  its  other  unpleasant  quahties,  there  was  now 
a  disagreeable  odour  and  a  curious,  eye-smarting,  throat- 
roughening  heaviness  in  the  atmosphere  which  was  like  to 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  101 

nothing  so  much  as  the  fumes  thrown  off  by  burnt  chemi- 
cals. 

Cleek  gave  one  or  two  sniffs  at  the  air  as  he  entered, 
glanced  at  Mr.  Narkom,  then  walked  straightway  to  the 
desk  and  looked  into  the  dead  man's  face.  Under  the 
marks  of  the  scratches  and  cuts  upon  it  —  marks  which 
would  seem  to  carry  out  the  idea  of  an  animal's  attack  — • 
the  features  were  distorted  and  discoloured,  and  the  hair 
of  beard  and  moustache  was  curiously  crinkled  and  dis- 
coloured. 

Cleek  stopped  dead  short  as  he  saw  that  face,  and  his 
swaggering,  flippant,  cocksure  air  of  a  minute  before 
dropped  from  him  like  a  discarded  mantle. 

''Hullo!  this  doesn't  look  quite  so  promising  for  the  ani- 
mal theoiy  as  it  did!"  he  flung  out  sharply.  "This  man 
has  been  shot  —  shot  with  a  shell  filled  with  his  own 
soundless  and  annihilating  devil's  invention,  lithamite  — 
and  bomb  throwing  is  7tot  a  trick  of  beasts  of  a  lower  order 
than  the  animal  tribe!  Look  here,  Mr.  Narkom  —  see! 
The  lock  of  the  desk  has  been  broken.  Shut  the  door 
there,  Nippers.  Let  nobody  leave  the  room.  There  has 
been  murder  and  robbery  here;  and  the  thing  that  climbed 
that  tree  was  not  an  animal  nor  yet  a  bird.  It  was  a  cut- 
throat and  a  thief!" 

Naturally  enough,  this  statement  produced  something 
in  the  nature  of  a  panic;  Miss  Renfrew,  indeed,  appearing 
to  be  on  the  verge  of  fainting,  and  it  is  not  at  all  unlikely 
that  she  would  have  slipped  to  the  floor  but  for  the  close 
proximity  of  Mrs.  Armroyd. 

"That's  right,  madame.     Get  a  chair;  put  her  into  it. 
She  will  need  all  her  strength  presently,  I  promise  you. 
Wait  a  bit!     Better  have  a  doctor,  I  fancy,  and  an  inquiry 
into  the  whereabouts  of  Mr.  Charles  Drummond.     Mr. ' 
Narkom,  cut  out,  will  you,  and  wire  this  message  to  that : 
young  man's  employer." 


102  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Pens  and  papers  were  on  the  dead  man's  desk.  Cleek 
bent  over,  scratched  off  some  hurried  lines,  and  passed 
them  to  the  superintendent. 

''Sharp's  the  word,  please;  we've  got  ugly  business  on 
hand  and  we  must  know  about  that  Drummond  chap  with- 
out delay.  Miss  Renfrew  has  not  been  telling  the  truth  to- 
night! Look  at  this  man.  Rigor  mortis  pronounced. 
Feel  him  —  muscles  like  iron,  flesh  like  ice !  She  says  that 
he  spoke  to  her  at  a  quarter  to  eight  o'clock.  /  tell  you 
that  at  a  quarter  to  eight  this  man  had  been  dead  upward 
of  an  hour!" 

"  Good  God! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Narkom;  but  his  cry  was  cut 
into  by  a  wilder  one  from  Miss  Renfrew. 

"Oh,  no!  Oh,  no!"  she  protested,  starting  up  from  her 
seat,  only  to  drop  back  into  it,  strengthless,  shaking,  ghastly 
pale.  ''It  could  not  be  —  it  could  not.  I  have  told  the 
truth  —  nothing  but  the  truth.  He  did  speak  to  me  at  a 
quarter  to  eight  —  he  did,  he  did !  Constable  Gorham  was 
there  —  he  heard  him;  he  will  tell  you  the  same." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  know  you  said  so,  but  —  will  he?  He  looks 
a  sturdy,  straightgoing,  honest  sort  of  chap  who  couldn't  be 
coaxed  or  bribed  into  backing  up  a  lie ;  so  send  him  in  as  you 
go  out,  Mr.  Narkom;  we'll  see  what  he  has  to  say." 

What  he  had  to  say  when  he  came  in  a  few  moments 
later  was  what  Miss  Renfrew  had  declared  —  an  exact 
corroboration  of  her  statement.  He  had  seen  a  man  whom 
he  fancied  was  Sir  Ralph  Droger  run  out  of  the  grounds, 
and  he  had  suggested  to  Miss  Renfrew  that  they  had  bet- 
ter look  into  the  Round  House  and  see  if  all  was  right  with 
Mr.  Nosworth.  They  had  looked  in  as  she  had  said;  and 
Mr.  Nosworth  had  called  out  and  asked  her  what  the  devil 
she  was  coming  in  and  disturbing  him  for,  and  it  was  a 
quarter  to  eight  o'clock  exactly. 

"Sure  about  that,  are  you?"  questioned  Cleek. 

"Yes,  sir,  sure  as  that  I'm  telhng  you  so  this  minute." 


(( 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      103 

How  do  you  fix  the  exact  time?  " 

As  we  came  out  of  the  covered  passage  Miss  Renfrew 
looked  at  her  wrist- watch  and  says,  impatient  like,  'There, 
I've  lost  another  two  minutes  and  am  that  much  later  for 
nothing.  See!  It's  a  quarter  to  eight.  Good  night." 
Then  she  cut  off  over  the  grounds  and  leaves  me." 

"Lsil  la!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Armroyd  approvingly. 
*' There's  the  brave  heart,  to  come  to  mademoiselle's  rescue 
so  gallantly.  But,  yes,  I  make  you  the  cake  of  plums  for 
that,  mon  cher.  Monsieur  of  the  yard  of  Scotland,  he  can 
no  more  torture  the  poor  stricken  child  after  that — not  he." 

But  Cleek  appeared  to  be  less  easy  to  convince  that  she 
had  hoped,  for  he  pursued  the  subject  still;  questioning  Gor- 
ham  to  needless  length  it  seemed;  trying  his  best  to  trip 
him  up,  to  shake  his  statement,  but  always  failing;  and, 
indeed,  going  over  the  same  ground  to  such  length  that  one 
might  have  thought  he  was  endeavouring  to  gain  time. 
If  he  was,  he  certainly  succeeded;  for  it  was  quite  fifteen 
minutes  later  when  Mr.  Narkom  returned  to  the  Round 
House,  and  he  was  at  it  still.  Indeed,  he  did  not  conclude 
to  give  it  up  as  a  bad  job  until  the  superintendent  came. 

''Get  it  off  all  right,  did  3^ou,  Mr.  Narkom?"  he  asked, 
glancing  round  as  he  heard  him  enter. 

"Quite  all  right,  old  chap.  Right  as  rain  —  in  every 
particular." 

"Thanks  very  much.  I'm  having  rather  a  difficult  task 
of  it,  for  our  friend  the  constable  here  corroborates  Miss 
Renfrew's  statement  to  the  hair;  and  yet  I  am  absolutely 
positive  that  there  is  a  mistake." 

"There  is  no  mistake  —  no,  not  one!  The  wicked  one  to 
say  it  still!" 

"Oh,  that's  all  very  well,  madame,  but  I  know  what  I 
know;  and  when  you  tell  me  that  a  dead  man  can  ask  ques- 
tions —  Pah !  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  the  constable 
merely  fancies  he  heard  Mr.   Nosworth  speak.     That's 


104  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

where  the  mistake  comes  in.  Now,  look  here!  I  once  knew 
of  an  exactly  similar  case  and  I'll  tell  you  just  how  it  hap- 
pened. Let  us  suppose"  —  strolling  leisurely  forward  — 
*'let  us  suppose  that  this  space  here  is  the  covered  passage, 
and  you,  madame  —  step  here  a  moment,  please.  Thanks 
very  much  —  and  you  are  Miss  Renfrew,  and  Gorham  here 
is  himself,  and  standing  beside  her  as  he  did  then." 

"Wasn't  beside  her,  sir  —  at  least  not  just  exactly.  A 
bit  behind  her  —  Hke  this." 

*'0h,  very  well,  then,  that  will  do.  Now,  then.  Here's 
the  passage  and  here  are  you,  and  I'll  just  show  you  how  a 
mistake  could  occur,  and  how  it  did  occur,  under  precisely 
similar  circumstances.  Once  upon  a  time  when  I  was  in 
Paris " 

"In  Paris,  monsieur?  " 

"Yes,  madame  —  this  Httle  thing  I'm  going  to  tell  you 
about  happened  there.  You  may  or  may  not  have  heard 
that  a  certain  Frenchy  dramatist  wrote  a  play  called  Chan- 
ticler  —  or  maybe  you  never  heard  of  it?  Didn't,  eh? 
Well,  it's  a  play  where  all  the  characters  are  barnyard 
creatures  —  dogs,  poultry,  birds  and  the  hke  —  and  the 
odd  fancy  of  men  and  women  dressing  up  like  fowls  took 
such  a  hold  on  the  pubHc  that  before  long  there  were  Chan- 
ticler  dances  and  Chanticler  parties  in  all  the  houses,  and 
Chan  ticler  '  turns'  on  at  all  the  music  halls,  until  wherever 
one  went  for  an  evening's  amusement  one  was  pretty  sure 
to  see  somebody  or  another  dressed  up  hke  a  cock  or  a  hen, 
and  running  the  thing  to  death.  But  that's  another  story, 
and  we'll  pass  over  it.  Now,  it  just  so  happened  that  one 
night  —  when  the  craze  for  the  thing  was  dying  out  and 
barnyard  dresses  could  be  bought  for  a  song  —  I  strolled 
into  a  httle  fourth-rate  cafe  at  Montmarte  and  there  saw 
the  only  Chanticler  dancer  that  I  ever  thought  was  worth 
a  sou.  She  was  a  pretty,  dainty  httle  thing  —  Hght  as  a 
feather  and  graceful  as  a  fairy.     Alone,  I  think  she  might 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  105 

have  made  her  mark;  but  she  was  one  of  what  in  music- 
halldom  they  call  'a,  team.'  Her  partner  was  a  man  — 
bad  dancer,  an  indifferent  singer,  but  a  really  passable  ven- 
triloquist." 

''A  ventriloquist,  monsieur  —  er  —  er!" 
^'Cleek,  madame  —  name's  Cleek,  if  you  don't  mind." 
''Cleek!  Oh,  Lummy!"  blurted  out  Mr.  Nippers.  But 
neither  ''madame"  nor  Constable  Gorham  said  anything. 
They  merely  swung  round  and  made  a  sudden  bolt;  and 
Cleek,  making  a  bolt,  too,  pounced  down  on  them  like  a 
leaping  cat,  and  the  sharp  cHck-click  of  the  handcuffs  he 
had  borrowed  from  Mr.  Nippers  told  just  when  he  linked 
their  two  wrists  together. 

''Game's  up,  Madame  Fifine,  otherwise  Madame  Nos- 
worth,  the  v/orthless  wife  of  a  worthless  husband!"  he 
rapped  out  sharply.  "Game's  up,  Mr.  Henry  Nosworth, 
bandit,  pickpocket,  and  murderer!  There's  a  hot  corner  in 
hell  waiting  for  the  brute-beast  that  could  kill  his  own  father, 
and  would,  for  the  simple  sake  of  money.  Get  at  him, 
quick,  Mr.  Narkom.  He's  got  one  free  hand!  Nip  the 
paper  out  of  his  pocket  before  the  brute  destroys  it !  Played, 
sir,  played!  Buck  up.  Miss  Renfrew,  buck  up,  little  girl  — 
you'll  get  your  'Boy'  and  you'll  get  Mr.  Septimus  Nos- 
worth's  promised  fortune  after  all!  'God's  in  his  heaven, 
and  all's  right  with  the  world.' " 


CHAPTER  X 

*'"\7ES,  a  very,  very  clever  scheme  indeed,  Miss  Renfrew," 
A  agreed  Cleek.  ^'Laid  with  great  cunning  and  carried 
out  with  extreme  carefulness  —  as  witness  the  man's  com- 
ing here  and  getting  appointed  constable  and  biding  his 
time,  and  the  woman  serving  as  cook  for  six  months  to  get 
the  entree  to  the  house  and  to  be  ready  to  assist  when  the 
time  of  action  came  round.  I  don't  think  I  had  the  least 
inkhng  of  the  truth  until  I  entered  this  house  and  saw  that 
woman.  She  had  done  her  best  to  pad  herseh  to  an  un- 
wieldy size  and  to  blanch  portions  of  her  hair,  but  she 
couldn't  quite  make  her  face  appear  old  without  betraying 
the  fact  that  it  was  painted  —  and  hers  is  one  of  those  pe- 
culiarly pretty  faces  that  one  never  forgets  when  one  has 
ever  seen  it.  I  knew  her  the  instant  I  entered  the  house; 
and,  remembering  the  Chanticler  dress  with  its  fowFs-foot 
boots,  I  guessed  at  once  what  those  marks  would  prove  to 
be  when  I  came  to  investigate  them.  She  must  have 
stamped  on  the  ground  with  all  her  might,  to  sink  the  marks 
in  so  deeply  —  but  she  meant  to  make  sure  of  the  claws  and 
the  exaggerated  scales  on  the  toes  lea\dng  their  imprint. 
I  was  certain  we  should  find  that  dress  and  those  boots 
among  her  effects;  and  —  Mr.  Narkom  did.  What  I  wrote 
on  that  pretended  telegram  was  for  him  to  slip,  away  into  the 
house  proper  and  search  every  trunk  and  cupboard  for  them. 
Pardon?  No,  I  don't  think  they  really  had  any  idea  of 
incriminating  Sir  Ralph  Droger.  That  thought  came  into 
the  fellow's  mind  when  you  stepped  out  and  caught  him 
stealing  away  after  the  murder  had  been  committed.     No 

106 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  107 

^oubt  he,  like  you,  had  seen  Sir  Ralph  practising  for  the 
sports,  and  he  simply  made  capital  of  it.  The  main  idea 
was  to  kill  his  father  and  to  destroy  the  -will;  and  of  course, 
when  it  became  apparent  that  the  old  gentleman  had  died 
inttestate,  even  a  discarded  son  must  inherit.  Where  he 
made  his  blunder,  however,  was  in  his  haste  to  practise  his 
ventriloquial  accomplishment  to  prevent  your  going  into 
the  Round  House  and  discovering  that  his  father  was  al- 
ready dead.  He  ought  to  have  waited  until  you  had  spo- 
ken, so  that  it  would  appear  natural  for  the  old  man  to  know, 
without  turning,  who  it  was  that  had  opened  the  door. 
That  is  what  put  me  on  the  track  of  him.  Until  that  mo- 
ment I  hadn't  the  shghtest  suspicion  where  he  was  nor 
under  what  guise  he  was  hiding.  Of  course  I  had  a  vague 
suspicion,  even  before  I  came  and  saw  her,  that  *the  cook' 
was  in  it.  Her  readiness  in  inventing  a  fictitious  gypsy 
with  a  bear's  muzzle,  coupled  with  what  Nippers  had  told 
me  of  the  animal  marks  she  had  pointed  out,  looked  a  bit 
fishy;  but  until  I  actually  met  her  nothing  really  tangible 
began  to  take  shape  in  my  thoughts.  That's  all,  I  think. 
And  now,  good-night  and  good  luck  to  you.  Miss  Renfrew. 
The  riddle  is  solved;  and  Mr.  Narkom  and  I  must  be  getting 
back  to  the  wilderness  and  to  our  ground-floor  beds  in  the 
hotel  of  the  beautiful  stars!" 

Here,  as  if  some  spirit  of  nervous  unrest  had  suddenly 
beset  him,  he  turned  round  on  his  heel,  motioned  the  super- 
intendent to  follow,  and  brushing  by  the  awed  and  staring 
Mr.  Ephraim  Nippers,  whisked  open  the  door  and  passed 
briskly  out  into  the  hush  and  darkness  of  the  night. 

The  footpath  which  led  through  the  grounds  to  the  gate 
and  thence  to  the  long  lonely  way  back  to  Dollops  and  the 
caravan  lay  before  him.  He  swung  into  it  with  a  curious 
sort  of  energy  and  forged  away  from  the  house  at  such  speed 
that  Narkom 's  short,  fat  legs  were  hard  put  to  it  to  catch 
up  with  him  before  he  came  to  the  path's  end. 


108  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

"My  dear  chap,  are  you  going  into  training  for  a  match 
with  that  Sir  Ralph  What's-his-name  of  whom  Miss  Ren- 
frew spoke? '^  he  wheezed  when  he  finally  overtook  him. 
"You  long,  lean  beggars  are  the  very  old  boy  for  covering 
the  ground.  But  wait  until  you  get  to  be  my  age,  by 
James!" 

"Perhaps  I  shan't.  Perhaps  they  won't  let  me!"  threw 
back  Cleek,  in  a  voice  curiously  blurred,  as  if  he  spoke  with 
his  teeth  hard  shut.  "Donkeys  do  die,  yoa  know  —  that 
little  bit  of  tommyrot  about  the  absence  of  their  dead  bodies 
to  the  contrary." 

"Meaning  what, old  chap? " 

"That  I've  been  as  big  an  ass  as  any  of  the  thistle-eating 
kind  that  ever  walked.  Gad!  such  an  indiscretion!  Such 
an  example  of  pure  brainlessness!  And  the  worst  of  it  is 
that  it's  all  due  to  my  own  wretched  vanity  —  my  own 
miserable  weakness  for  the  theatrical  and  the  spectacular  I 
It  came  to  me  suddenly  —  while  I  was  standing  there  ex- 
plaining things  to  Miss  Renfrew  —  and  I  could  have  kicked 
myself  for  my  folly." 

''Folly?    What  folly?" 

"  'What  folly?'  What?  Good  heavens,  man,  use  your 
wits!  Isn't  it  enough  for  me  to  be  a  blockhead  without  you 
entering  the  Usts  along  with  me?"  said  Cleek,  irritably. 
"Or,  no!  Forgive  that,  dear  friend.  My  nerves  were 
speaking,  not  my  heart.  But  in  moments  Hke  this  —  when 
we  had  built  a  safe  bridge,  and  my  own  stupidity  has  hacked 
it  down —  Faugh!  I  tell  you  I  could  kick  myself. 
Didn't  you  hear?     Didn't  you  see?  " 

"I  saw  that  for  some  special  reason  you  were  suddenly 
obsessed  with  a  desire  to  get  out  of  the  house  in  the  midst 
of  your  talking  with  Miss  Renfrew,  if  that's  what  you  refer 
to— is  it?" 

"Not  altogether.  It's  part  of  it,  however.  But  not  the 
worst  part,  unfortunately.     It  was  at  that  moment  then  the 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  109 

recollection  of  my  indiscretion  came  to  me  and  I  realized 
what  a  dolt  I  had  been  —  how  completely  I  had  destroyed 
our  splendid  security,  wrecked  what  Httle  still  remains  of 
this  glorious  hoKday  —  when  I  couldn't  let  '  George  Head- 
land' have  the  centre  of  the  stage,  but  needs  must  come 
in  Hke  the  hero  of  a  melodrama  and  announce  myself  as 
Cleek.  To  Nosworth  and  his  wife!  To  Nippers!  To  all 
that  gaping  crowd!     You  remember  that  incident,  surely? " 

''Yes.     Of  course  I  do.     But  what  of  it?" 

''What  of  it?  Man  aHve,  with  a  chap  like  that  Nippers, 
how  long  do  you  suppose  it  will  remain  a  secret  that  Cleek 
is  in  Yorkshire?  In  the  West  Riding  of  it?  In  this  par- 
ticular locahty?  Travelling  about  with  Mr.  Maverick 
Narkom  in  a  caravan  —  a  caravan  that  can't  cover  five 
miles  of  country  in  the  time  a  train  or  a  motor  car  is  able 
to  get  over  fifty!" 

"Good  lud!  I  never  thought  of  that.  But  wait  a  bit. 
There's  a  way  to  overcome  that  difficulty,  of  course.  Stop 
here  a  minute  or  two  and  I'll  run  back  and  pledge  that  Nip- 
pers fool  to  keep  his  mouth  shut  about  it.  He'll  give  me 
his  promise,  /  know." 

"To  be  sure  he  will.  But  how  long  do  you  suppose  he 
will  keep  it?  How  long  do  you  suppose  that  an  empty- 
headed,  gabbhng  old  fool  Hke  that  fellow  will  refrain  from 
increasing  his  own  importance  in  the  neighbourhood  by 
swaggering  about  and  boasting  of  his  intimacy  with  the 
powers  at  Scotland  Yard  and  —  the  rest  of  it?  And  even 
if  he  shouldn't,  what  about  the  others?  The  gathering  of 
rustics  that  heard  what  he  heard?  The  gamekeepers  from 
the  Droger  estate?  The  Nosworths,  as  well  as  they?  Can 
their  mouths,  too,  be  shut?  They  will  not  love  me  for 
this  night's  business,  be  sure.  Then,  too,  they  have  lived 
in  Paris.  The  woman  is  French  by  birth.  Of  Montmartre 
—  of  the  Apache  class,  the  Apache  kind  —  and  she  will 
know  of  the  '  Cracksman/  be  assured.     So  will  her  husband. 


110  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

And  they  won't  take  their  medicine  lying  down,  beheve  me. 
An  accused  man  has  the  right  to  communicate  with  coun- 
sel, remember;  and  a  wire  up  to  London  will  cost  less  than 
a  shilling.  So,  as  between  Margot's  crew  and  our  friend 
Count  Waldemar  —  la,  la!    There  you  are." 

Mr.  Narkom  screwed  up  his  face  and  said  something 
imder  his  breath.  He  could  not  but  follow  this  Kne  of  rea- 
soning when  the  thing  was  put  before  him  so  plainly. 

"And  we  had  been  so  free  from  all  worry  over  the  beggars 
up  to  this!"  he  said,  savagely.  ''But  to  get  a  hint  —  to 
pick  up  the  scent  —  out  here  —  in  a  wild  bit  of  country  like 
this!  Cinnamon,  it  makes  me  sweat!  What  do  you  pro- 
pose to  do?" 

"The  only  thing  that's  left  us  to  do,"  gave  back  Cleek. 
"  Get  out  of  it  as  quickly  as  possible  and  draw  a  red  herring 
over  the  scent.  In  other  words,  put  back  to  Dollops,  aban- 
don the  caravan,  make  our  way  to  some  place  where  it  is 
possible  to  telephone  for  the  chap  we  hired  it  from  to  send 
out  and  get  it;  then,  to  make  tracks  for  home." 

"  Yes,  but  why  bother  about  telephoning,  old  chap?  Why 
can't  we  drop  in  ourselves  and  tell  the  man  when  we  get 
back  to  Sheffield  on  our  way  to  London?" 

"Because  we  are  not  going  back  to  Sheffield,  my  friend  — 
not  going  in  for  anything  so  silly  as  twice  travelKng  over 
the  same  ground,  if  it's  all  the  same  to  you,"  replied  Cleek, 
as  he  swung  off  from  the  highway  on  to  the  dark,  still  moor 
and  struck  out  for  the  place  where  they  had  left  Dollops 
and  the  caravan.  ''At  best,  we  can't  be  more  than  thirty 
miles  from  the  boundary  hne  of  Cumberland.  A  night's 
walking  will  cover  that.  There  we  can  rest  a  while  — ■ 
at  some  little  out-of-the-way  hostelry  —  then  take  a  train 
over  the  Scottish  border  and  make  for  Dumfries.  From 
that  point  on,  the  game  is  easy.  There  are  six  trains  a 
day  lea\^ng  for  St.  Pancras  and  eight  for  Euston.  We  can 
choose  which  we  like,  and  a  seven  hours'  ride  will  land  us  L» 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      111 

London  without  having  once  doubled  on  our  tracks'  or 
crossed  the  route  by  which  we  came  out  of  it." 

"By  James!  what  a  ripping  idea,"  said  Mr.  Narkom  ap- 
provingly. "Come  along  then,  old  chap  —  let's  get  back 
to  the  boy  and  be  about  it  as  soon  as  possible."  Then  he 
threw  open  his  coat  and  waistcoat  to  get  the  full  benefit  of 
the  air  before  facing  the  ordeal,  and,  faihng  into  step  with 
Cleek,  struck  out  over  the  moor  at  so  brisk  a  dog  trot  that 
his  short,  fat  legs  seemed  fairly  to  twinkle. 


CHAPTER  XI 

BY  THE  side  of  the  little  chattering  stream  that  flowed 
through  the  bit  of  woodland  where  Mr.  Nippers  and 
his  associates  had  come  upon  them,  they  found  Dollops, 
with  his  legs  drawn  up,  his  arms  folded  across  his  knees  and 
his  forehead  resting  upon  them,  sleeping  serenely  over  the 
embers  of  a  burnt-out  fire.  He  was  still  "making  music," 
but  of  a  kind  which  needed  no  assistance  from  a  mouth 
harmonica  to  produce  it. 

They  awoke  him  and  told  him  of  the  sudden  change  in 
the  programme  and  of  the  need  for  haste  in  carrying  it  out. 

*'0h,  so  help  me!  Them  Apaches,  eh?  And  that  foreign 
josser.  Count  What's-his-name,  too?"  said  he,  rubbing  his 
eyes  and  blinking  sleepily.  ''Right  you  are,  guv'ner! 
Gimme  two  seconds  to  get  the  cobwebs  out  of  my  thinking- 
box  and  I'm  ready  to  face  mardiing  orders  as  soon  as  you 
like.  My  hat!  though,  but  this  is  a  startler.  I  can  under- 
stand wot  them  Apache  johnnies  has  got  against  you,  sir, 
of  course;  but  wot  that  Maura vanian  biscuit  is  getting  after 
you  for  beats  me.  Wot  did  you  ever  do  to  the  blighter, 
guv'ner?  Trip  him  up  in  some  little  bit  of  crooked  busi- 
ness, sir,  and  Mid  him  down,'  as  the  'Mericans  say?" 

"Something  Hke  that,"  returned  Cleek.  "Don't  waste 
time  in  talking.  Simply  get  together  such  things  as  we 
shall  need  and  let  us  be  off  about  our  business  as  soon  as 
possible." 

Dollops  obeyed  instructions  upon  both  points  —  obeyed 
them,  indeed,  with  such  alacrity  that  he  shut  up  Hke  an 
oyster  forthwith,  dived  into  the  caravan  and  bounced  out 

112 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      113 

.     f  .     . 

again,  and  witliin  five  minutes  of  the  time  he  had  been  told 

of  the  necessity  for  starting,  had  started,  and  was  forging 
away  with  the  others  over  the  dark,  still  moor  and  facing 
cheerily  the  prospect  of  a  thirty-mile  walk  to  Cumberland- 
shire. 

All  through  the  night  they  pressed  onward  thus  —  the 
two  men  walking  shoulder  to  shoulder  and  the  boy  at  their 
heels  —  over  vast  stretches  of  moorland  where  bracken  and 
grass  hmig  heavy  and  glittering  imder  their  weight  of  dew; 
down  the  craggy  sides  of  steep  guUies  where  the  spring 
freshets  had  quickened  mere  trickles  into  noisy  water- 
splashes  that  spewed  over  the  rocks,  to  fall  into  chuckHng, 
froth-filled  p>ools  below;  along  twisting  paths;  through  the 
dark,  still  woodland  stretches,  and  thence  out  upon  the  v/ild, 
wet  moor  again,  with  the  wind  in  their  faces  and  the  sky  all 
a-prickle  with  steadily  dimming  stars.  And  by  and  by  the 
mist-wrapped  moon  dropp>ed  down  out  of  sight,  the  worn- 
out  night  dwindled  and  died,  and  steadily  brightening  Glory 
went  blushing  up  the  east  to  flower  the  pathway  for  the 
footfalls  of  the  Morning. 

But  as  yet  the  farthermost  outposts  of  Cumberland  were 
miles  beyond  the  range  of  vision,  so  that  the  long  tramp 
was  by  no  means  ended,  and,  feeling  the  necessity  for  cover- 
ing as  much  ground  as  possible  while  the  world  at  large  was 
still  in  what  Dollops  was  wont  to  allude  to  as  '^  the  arms  of 
Murphy's  house,''  the  little  party  continued  to  press  on- 
ward persistently. 

By  four  o'clock  they  were  again  off  the  moors  and  in  the 
depths  of  craggy  gorges;  by  five  they  were  on  the  borders  of 
a  deep,  still  tarn,  and  had  called  a  halt  to  fight  a  fire  and  get 
things  out  of  the  bag  which  Dollops  carried  —  things  to  eat 
and  to  drink  and  to  wear  —  and  were  enjoying  a  plunge  in 
the  ice-cold  water  the  while  the  coffee  was  boifing;  and  by 
six  —  gorged  with  food  and  soothed  by  tobacco  —  they 
were  lying  sprawled  out  on  the  fragrant  earth  and  bfinking 


114  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

drc  .vsily  while  their  boots  were  drying  before  the  fire.  And 
.after  that  there  was  a  long  hiatus  until  Cleek's  voice  rapped 
out  saying  sharply,  ''Well,  I'll  be  dashed!  Rouse  up  there, 
you  lazy  beggars.  Do  you  know  that  it's  half-past  twelve 
and  w^e've  been  sleeping  for  hours?" 

They  knew  it  then,  be  assured,  and  were  up  and  on  their 
way  again  with  as  Httle  delay  as  possible.  Rested  and  re- 
freshed, they  made  such  good  time  that  two  o'clock  found 
them  in  the  Morcam  Abbey  district,  just  over  the  borders 
of  Cumberland,  and,  with  appetites  sharpened  for  luncheon, 
bearing  down  on  a  quaint  little  hostlery  whose  signboard 
announced  it  as  the  Rose  and  Thistle. 

''Well,  there's  hospitaHty  if  you  like,"  said  Cleek,  as,  at 
their  approach,  a  cheery-faced  landlady  bobbed  up  at  an 
open  window  and,  seeing  them,  bobbed  away  again  and  ran 
round  to  welcome  them  with  smiles  and  curtseys  dehvered 
from  the  arch  of  a  vine-bowered  door. 

"Welcome,  gentlemen,  welcome,"  beamed  she  as  they 
came  up  and  joined  her.  "But  however  in  the  world  did 
you  manage  to  get  over  here  so  soon?  —  the  train  not  being 
due  at  Shepperton  Old  Cross  until  five-and-twenty  past  one, 
and  that  a  good  mile  and  a  quarter  away  as  the  crow  flies. 
However,  better  too  early  than  too  late  —  Major  Norcross 
and  Lady  Mary  being  already  here  and  most  anxious  to 
meet  you." 

As  it  happened  that  neither  Cleek  nor  Mr.  Narkom  had 
any  personal  acquaintance  with  the  lady  and  gentleman 
mentioned,  it  was  so  clearly  a  case  of  mistaken  identity 
that  the  superintendent  had  it  on  the  tip  of  his  tongue  to 
announce  the  fact,  when  there  clashed  out  the  sound  of  a 
door  opening  and  shutting  rapidly,  a  clatter  of  hasty  foot- 
steps along  the  passage,  and  presently  there  came  into  \iew 
the  figure  of  a  bluff,  hearty,  florid-faced  man  of  about  five- 
and-f orty,  who  thrust  the  landlady  aside  and  threw  a  meta- 
phorical bombshell  by  exclaiming  excitedly: 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      115 

*'My  dear  sir,  I  never  was  so  deKghted.  Talk  about 
English  slowness.  Why,  this  is  prompt  enough  to  satisfy 
a  Yankee.  I  never  dispatched  my  letter  to  you  until  late 
yesterday  afternoon,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  —  by  the  way, 
which  is  Mr.  Narkom,  and  which  that  amazing  Mr.  Cleek? 
Or,  never  mind  —  perhaps  that  clever  Johnnie  will  be  com- 
ing later;  you  can  tell  me  all  about  that  afterward.  For 
the  present,  come  along.  Let's  not  keep  Lady  Mary  wait- 
ing —  she's  anxious.     This  way,  please." 

Here  —  as  Mr.  Narkom  had  lost  no  time  in  acknowledg- 
ing his  identity,  it  being  clear  that  no  mistake  had  been  made 
after  all  —  here  he  caught  the  superintendent  by  the  arm, 
whisked  him  down  the  passage,  and  throwing  open  the  door 
at  the  end  of  it,  announced  excitedly,  ^'AU  right,  Mary.  The 
Yard's  answered  —  the  big  reward's  caught  'em,  as  I  knew 
it  would  —  and  here's  Narkom.  That  chap  Cleek  will 
come  by  a  later  train,  no  doubt." 

The  response  to  this  came  from  an  unexpected  quarter. 
Of  a  sudden  the  man  he  had  left  standing  at  the  outer  door, 
under  the  impression  that  he  was  in  no  way  connected  with 
the  superintendent,  but  merely  a  gentleman  who  had  reached 
the  inn  at  the  same  time,  came  down  the  passage  to  the 
open  door,  brushed  past  him  into  the  room,  and  announced 
gravely,  ''Permit  me  to  correct  an  error,  please.  Major. 
The  'man  Cleek'  is  not  coming  later  —  he  is  here,  and  very 
much  at  your  and  Lady  Mary  Norcross'  service,  believe 
me.  I  have  long  known  the  name  of  Major  Seton  Norcross 
as  one  which  stands  high  in  the  racing  world  —  as  that, 
indeed,  of  the  gentleman  who  owns  the  finest  stud  in  the 
kingdom  and  whose  filly.  Highland  Lassie,  is  first  favourite 
for  the  forthcoming  Derby  —  and  I  now  have  the  honour 
of  meeting  the  gentleman  himself,  it  seems." 

The  effect  of  this  was  somewhat  disconcerting.  For,  as 
he  concluded  it,  he  put  out  his  hand  and  rested  it  upon  Mr.. 
Narkom's  shoulder,  whereat  Lady  Mary  half  rose  from  her 


116  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

seat,  only  to  sit  down  again  suddenly  and  look  round  at 
her  liege  lord  with  uplifted  eyebrows  and  lips  slightly  parted. 
Afterward  she  declared  of  the  two  men  standing  side  by  side 
in  that  familiar  manner:  ''One  reminded  me  of  an  actor 
trying  to  play  the  part  of  a  person  of  distinction,  and  the 
other  of  a  person  of  distinction  trying  to  play  the  part  of  an 
ordinary  actor  and  not  quite  able  to  keep  what  he  really 
was  from  showing  through  the  veneer  of  what  he  was  trying 
to  be/' 

The  major,  however,  was  too  blunt  to  bottle  up  his  senti- 
ments at  any  time,  and  being  completely  bowled  over  in  the 
present  instance  put  them  into  bluff,  outspoken,  character- 
istic words. 

''Oh,  gum  games!"  he  blurted  out.  "If  you  really  are 
Cleek " 

"I  really  am.     Mr.  Narkom  will  stand  sponsor  for  that." 

"But,  good  lud,  man!  Oh,  look  here,  you  know,  this  is 
all  tommyrot!  What  under  God's  heaven  has  brought  a 
chap  hke  you  down  to  this  sort  of  thing?  " 

"Opinions  differ  upon  that  score.  Major,"  said  Cleek 
quietly.  "  So  far  from  being  'brought  down,'  it  is  my  good 
friend,  Mr.  Narkom  here,  who  has  brought  me  up  to  it  — 
and  made  me  his  debtor  for  life." 

"Debtor  nothing!  Don't  talk  rubbish.  As  if  it  were 
possible  for  a  gentleman  not  to  recognize  a  gentleman!" 

"It  would  not  be  so  easy,  I  fear,  if  he  were  a  good  actor  — 
and  you  have  just  done  me  the  compliment  of  indirectly 
telling  me  that  I  must  be  one.  It  is  very  nice  of  you  but  — • 
may  we  not  let  it  go  at  that?  I  fancy  from  what  I  hear 
that  I,  too,  shall  soon  be  in  the  position  to  pay  compliments, 
Major.  I  hear  on  every  side  that  Highland  Lassie  is  sure 
to  carry  off  the  Derby  —  in  fact  that,  unless  a  miracle  oc- 
curs, there'll  be  no  horse  'in  it'  but  her." 

Here  both  the  major  and  his  wife  grew  \'isibly  excited. 

"  Gad,  sir ! "  exclaimed  he,  in  a  voice  of  deep  despair.  "I'm 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  117 

afraid  you  will  have  to  amend  that  statement  so  that  it  may 
read,  'unless  a  miracle  occurs  there  will  be  every  horse  in  it 
but  her'  —  every  blessed  one  from  Dawson-Blake's  Tar- 
antula, the  second  favourite,  down  to  the  last  'also  ran'  of 
the  lot." 

''Good  heavens!  The  filly  hasn't  'gone  wrong'  sud- 
denly, has  she?" 

"She's  done  more  than  'gone  wrong'  —  she's  gone  alto- 
gether! Some  beastly,  low-lived  cur  of  a  horse  thief  broke 
into  the  stables  the  night  before  last  and  stole  her  —  stole 
her,  sir,  body  and  bones  —  and  there's  not  so  much  as  a 
hoof  print  to  tell  what  became  of  her." 

"Well,  I'm  blest!" 

"Are  you?  B'gad,  then,  you're  about  the  only  one  who 
knows  about  it  that  is!  For  as  if  that  wasn't  bad  enough, 
I've  not  only  lost  the  best  filly  in  England  but  the  best 
trainer  as  well:  and  the  brute  that  carried  off  the  one  got 
at  the  other  at  the  same  time,  dash  him!" 

"What  do  you  mean  by '  got  at '  the  trainer,  Major?  Did 
the  man  take  a  bribe  and  'sell'  you  that  way?  " 

"What,  Tom  Farrow?  Never  in  God's  world!  Not  that 
kind  of  a  chap,  by  George!  The  man  that  offered  Tom 
Farrow  a  bribe  would  spend  the  rest  of  the  week  in  bed  — ■ 
gad,  yes!  A  more  faithful  chap  never  drew  the  breath  of 
life.  God  only  knows  when  or  how  the  thing  happened, 
but  Farrow  was  found  on  the  moor  yesterday  morning  — 
quite  unconscious  and  at  death's  door.  He  had  been  blud- 
geoned in  the  most  brutal  manner  imaginable.  Not  only 
was  his  right  arm  broken,  but  his  skull  was  all  but  crushed 
in.  There  was  concussion  of  the  brain,  of  course.  Poor 
fellow,  he  can't  speak  a  word,  and  the  chances  are  that  he 
never  will  be  able  to  do  so  again." 

"Bad  business,  that,"  declared  Cleek,  looking  grave. 
"Any  idea  of  who  may  possibly  have  been  the  assailant? 
Local  police  picked  up  anything  in  the  nature  of  a  clue?  " 


118  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YAED 

"The  local  police  know  nothing  whatsoever  about  it.  I 
have  not  reported  the  case  to  them." 

"Not  reported H'm!  rather  unusual  course,  that, 

to  pursue,  isn't  it?  When  a  man  has  his  place  broken  into, 
a  valuable  horse  stolen,  and  his  trainer  all  but  murdered, 
one  would  naturally  suppose  that  his  first  act  would  be  to 
set  the  machinery  of  the  law  in  motion  without  an  instant's 
delay.     That  is,  unless H'm!     Yes!    Just  so." 

"What  is  'just  so'?"  inquired  the  major  eagerly.  "You 
seem  to  have  hit  upon  some  sort  of  an  idea  right  at  the  start. 
Mind  telling  me  what  it  is?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  I  could  imagine  that  when  a  man  keeps 
silent  about  such  a  thing  at  such  a  time  there  is  a  possibiUty 
that  he  has  a  faint  idea  of  who  the  criminal  may  be  and  that 
he  has  excellent  reasons  for  not  wishing  the  world  at  large 
to  share  that  idea.  In  other  words,  that  he  would  sooner 
lose  the  value  of  the  animal  fifty  times  over  than  have  the 
crime  brought  home  to  the  person  he  suspects." 


CHAPTER  XII 

LADY  MARY  made  a  faint  moaning  sound.  The 
major's  face  was  a  study. 

*^I  don't  know  whether  you  are  a  wizard  or  not,  Mr. 
Cleek,"  he  said,  after  a  moment;  ''but  you  have  certainly 
hit  upon  the  facts  of  the  matter.  It  is  for  that  very  reason 
that  I  have  refrained  from  making  the  affair  pubHc.  It 
is  bad  enough  that  Lady  Mary  and  I  should  have  our 
suspicions  regarding  the  identity  of  the  —  er  —  person 
implicated  without  letting  others  share  them.  There's 
Dawson-Blake  for  one.  If  he  knew,  he'd  move  heaven  and 
earth  to  ruin  him." 

"Dawson-Blake?"  repeated  Cleek,  "Pardon,  but  will 
that  be  the  particular  Sir  Gregory  Dawson-Blake  the  mil- 
lionaire brewer  who  achieved  a  knighthood  in  the  last 
*  Honours  List'  and  whose  horse,  Tarantula,  is  second  fav- 
ourite for  the  coming  Derby?" 

"Yes,  the  very  man.  He  is  almost  what  you  might  call  a 
neighbour  of  ours,  Mr.  Cleek.  His  place.  Castle  Claver- 
dale,  is  just  over  the  border  line  of  Northumberland  and 
about  live  miles  distant  from  Morcan  Abbey.  His  stables 
are,  if  anything,  superior  to  my  own;  and  we  both  use  the 
intervening  moorland  as  a  training  ground.  Also,  it  was 
Dawson-Blake's  daughter  that  Lieutenant  Chadwick  played 
fast  and  loose  with.  Jilted  her,  you  know  —  threw  her 
over  at  the  eleventh  hour  and  married  a  chorus  girl  who 
had  nothing  to  bless  herself  with  but  a  pretty  face  and  a  long 
line  of  lodging-house  ancestry.  •  Not  that  Miss  Dawson- 
Blake  lost  anything  by  getting  rid  of  such  a  man  before 

119 


120  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

she  committed  the  folly  of  tying  herself  to  him  for  life,  but 
her  father  never  forgave  Lieutenant  Chadwick  and  would 
spend  a  milHon  for  the  satisfaction  of  putting  him  behind 
bars." 

^'I  see.  And  this  Lieutenant  Chadwick  is  —  whom  may 
I  ask?" 

''The  only  son  of  my  elder  and  only  sister,  Mr.  Cleek,'* 
supplied  Lady  Mary  with  a  faint  blush.  "She  committed 
the  folly  of  marrying  her  music  master  when  I  was  but  a  Httle 
girl,  and  my  father  died  without  ever  looking  at  her  again. 
Subsequently,  her  husband  deserted  her  and  went  —  she 
never  learnt  where,  to  the  day  of  her  death.  While  she 
lived,  however,  both  my  brother,  Lord  Chevelmere,  and  I 
saw  that  she  never  wanted  for  anything.  We  also  suppHed 
the  means  to  put  her  son  through  Sandhurst  after  we  had 
put  him  through  college,  and  hoped  that  he  would  repay  us 
by  achieving  honour  and  distinction.  It  was  a  vain  hope. 
He  achieved  nothing  but  disgrace.  Shortly  after  his  de- 
plorable marriage  with  the  theatrical  person  for  whom  he 
threw  over  Miss  Dawson-Blake  —  and  who  in  turn  threw 
him  over  when  she  discovered  what  a  useless  ei^cumbrance 
he  was  —  he  was  cashiered  from  the  army,  and  has  ever 
since  been  a  hanger-on  at  race  meetings  —  the  consort  of 
touts,  billiard  markers,  card  sharpers,  and  people  of  that 
sort.  I  had  not  seen  him  for  six  years,  when  he  turned  up 
suddenly  in  this  neighbourhood  three  days  ago  and  en- 
deavoured to  scrape  acquaintance  with  one  of  the  Abbey 
grooms." 

"And  under  an  assumed  name,  Mr.  Cleek,"  supple- 
mented the  major  somewhat  excitedly.  "He  was  calling 
himself  John  Clark  and  was  trying  to  wheedle  information 
regarding  Highland  Lassie  out  of  my  stable-boys.  For- 
tunately, Lady  Mary  caught  sight  of  him  without  being 
seen,  and  at  once  gave  orders  that  he  was  to  be  turned  off 
the  premises,  and  never  allowed  to  come  near  them  again. 


CLEEX  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  121 

He  was  known,  however,  to  be  in  this  neighbourhood  up  to 
dusk  on  the  following  evening,  but  he  has  never  been  seen 
since  Highland  Lassie  disappeared.  You  know  now,  per- 
haps, why  I  have  etected  to  conduct  everything  connected 
with  this  affair  with  the  utmost  secrecy.  Little  as  we  desire 
to  be  in  any  way  associated  with  such  a  man,  we  cannot  but 
remember  that  he  is  connected  with  us  by  ties  of  blood,  and 
unless  Farrow  dies  of  his  injuries  —  which  God  forbid!  we 
will  hush  the  thing  up,  cost  what  it  may.  All  that  I  want 
is  to  get  the  animal  back  —  not  to  punish  the  man:  if,  in- 
deed, he  be  the  guilty  party;  for  there  is  really  no  actual 
proof  of  that.  But  if  Dawson-Blake  knew,  it  would  be 
different.  He  would  move  heaven  and  earth  to  get  the 
convict's  'broad  arrow'  on  him  and  to  bring  disgrace  upon 
everybody  connected  with  the  man." 

"H'm,  I  seel"  said  Cleek,  puckering  up  his  brows  and 
thoughtfully  stroking  his  chin.  *'So  that,  naturally,  there 
is  —  with  this  added  to  the  rivalry  of  the  two  horses  —  no 
very  good  blood  existing  between  Sir  Gregory  Dawson- 
Blake  and  yourself?  " 

*'No,  there  is  not.  If,  apart  from  these  things,  Mr. 
Cleek,  you  want  my  private  opinion  of  the  man,  it  can  be 
summed  up  in  the  word  'Bounder.'  There  is  not  one  in- 
stinct of  the  gentleman  about  him.  He  is  simply  a  vulgar, 
money-gilded,  low-minded  cad,  and  I  wouldn't  put  it 
beyond  him  to  be  mixed  up  in  this  disappearance  of  the  filly 
himself  but  that  I  know  Chadwick  was  about  the  place ;  and 
for  there  to  be  anything  between  Chadwick  ai^d  him  is  as 
impossible  as  it  is  for  the  two  poles  to  come  together,  or  for 
oil  to  assimilate  with  water.  That  is  the  one  thing  in  this 
world  that  Dawson-Blake  would  not  do  under  any  circum- 
stances whatsoever.  Beyond  that,  I  put  nothing  beneath 
the  man  —  nothing  too  despicable  for  him  to  attempt  in  the 
effort  to  gain  his  own  end  and  aim.  He  races  not  for  the 
sport  of  the  thing,  but  for  the  pubKcity,  the  glory  of 


122  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

getting  talked  about,  and  of  making  the  vulgar  stare.  Hft 
wants  the  blue  ribbon  of  the  turf  for  the  simple  fame  of 
the  thing;  and  he'd  buy  it  if  buymg  it  were  possible,  and 
either  bribes  or  trickery  could  carry  off  the  race." 

*'H'm!    That's  a  sweeping  assertion,  Major." 

"But  made  upon  a  basis  of  absolute  fact,  Mr.  Cleek. 
He  has  twice  endeavoured  to  buy  Farrow  to  desert  me  by 
an  offer  of  double  wages  and  a  pension;  and,  failing  that, 
only  last  week  he  offered  my  jockey  £10,000  cash  on  the  nail 
to  shp  off  over  to  France  on  the  night  before  Derby  Day, 
and  promised  him  a  furtlier  five  thousand  if  Tarantula 
carried  off  the  race." 

''Oho!"  said  Cleek,  in  two  different  tones;  and  with  a 
look  of  supremest  contempt.  ''So  our  Tinplate  Knight  is 
that  sort  of  a  sportsman,  is  he,  the  cad?     And  having  failed 

to  get  hold  of  the  rider H'm!    Yes.     It  is  possible 

—  perhaps.  Chadwick's  turning  up  at  such  a  time  might 
be  a  mere  coincidence  —  a  mere  tout's  trick  to  get  inside 

information  beforehand,  or Well,  you  never  can  tell. 

Suppose,  Major,  you  give  me  the  facts  from  the  beginning. 
When  was  the  animal's  loss  discovered  —  and  how?  Let 
me  have  the  full  particulars,  please." 

The  major  sighed  and.  dropped  hea\dly  into  a  chair. 

"For  an  affair  of  such  far-reaching  consequences,  Mr. 
Cleek,"  he  said  gloomily,  "it  is  singularly  bald  of  what 
might  be  called  details,  I  am  afraid;  and  beyond  what  1 
have  already  told  you  there  is  really  very  little  more  to  tell. 
When  or  how  the  deed  was  committed,  it  is  impossible  to 
decide  beyond  the  indefinite  statement  that  it  happened 
the  night  before  last,  at  some  time  after  half -past  nine  in  the 
evening,  when  the  stable-boy,  DewHsh,  before  going  home, 
carried  a  pail  of  water  at  Farrow's  request  into  the  building 
where  Highland  Lassie's  stall  is  located,  and  five  o'clock 
the  next  morning  when  Captain  MacTavish  strolled  into  the 
stables  and  found  the  mare  missing." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      123 

"A  moment,  please.  Who  is  Captain  MacTavish?  And 
why  should  the  gentleman  be  strolling  about  the  Abbey 
stable-yard  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning?" 

^'Both  questions  can  be  answered  in  a  few  words.  Cap- 
tain MacTavish  is  a  friend  who  is  stopping  with  us.  He  is 
a  somewhat  famous  naturalist.  Writes  articles  and  stories 
on  bird  and  animal  fife  for  the  magazines.  It  is  his  habit 
to  be  up  and  out  hunting  for  'specimens'  and  things  of  that 
sort  every  morning  just  about  dawn.  At  five  he  always 
crosses  the  stable  yard  on  his  way  to  the  dairy  where  he 
goes  for  a  glass  of  fresh  milk  before  breakfast." 

*'I  see.     Captain  a  young  man  or  an  old  one?  " 

''Oh,  young,  of  course.  About  two  or  three  and  thirty, 
I  should  say.  Brother  of  a  deceased  army  pal  of  mine. 
Been  stopping  with  us  for  the  past  two  months.  Very 
brilliant  and  very  handsome  chap  —  universal  favourite 
wherever  he  goes." 

"Thanks.  Now  just  one  more  question  before  you  pro- 
ceed, please :  About  the  trainer  Farrow  getting  the  stable- 
boy  to  carry  in  that  pail  of  water.  Would  not  that  be  a 
trifle  unusual  at  such  a  time  of  the  night?" 

"I  don't  know.  Yes  —  perhaps  it  would.  I  never 
looked  at  it  in  that  light  before." 

"Very  likely  not.  Stables  would  be  closed  and  all  the 
grooms,  et  cetera,  off  duty  for  the  night  at  that  hour,  would 
they  not?" 

"Yes.  That  is,  unless  Farrow  had  reason  for  asking  one 
of  them  to  help  him  with  something.  That's  what  he  did, 
by  the  way,  with  the  boy,  Dewlish." 

"Just  so.  Any  idea  what  he  wanted  with  that  pail  of 
water  at  that  hour  of  the  night?  He  couldn't  be  going  to 
'water'  one  of  the  horses,  of  course,  and  it  is  hardly  Hkely 
that  he  intended  to  take  on  a  stableman's  duties  and  wash 
up  the  place." 

"Oh,  gravy  —  no!    He's  a  trainer,  not  a  slosh-bucket. 


124  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

I  pay  him  eighteen  hundred  a  year  and  give  him  a  cottage 
besides." 

''Married  man  or  a  single  one?" 

'' Single.  A  widower.  About  forty.  Lost  his  wife  two 
years  ago.  Rather  thought  he  was  going  to  take  another 
one  shortly,  from  the  way  things  looked.  But  of  late  he 
and  Maggie  McFarland  don't  seem,  for  some  reason  or 
another,  to  be  hitting  it  off  together  so  well  as  they  did." 

"Who's  Maggie  McFarland,  please?" 

''One  of  the  dairymaids.  A  Httle  Scotch  girl  from  Nairn 
who  came  into  service  at  the  Abbey  about  a  twelvemonth 
ago." 

"H'm!  I  see.  Then  the  fiUy  isn't  the  only  'Highland 
Lassie'  in  the  case,  it  would  seem.  Pardon?  Oh,  nothing. 
Merely  a  weak  attempt  to  say  something  smart,  that's  all. 
Don't  suppose  that  Maggie  McFarland  could  by  any  pos- 
sibility throw  light  upon  the  subject  of  that  pail  of  water,  do 
you.  Major?" 

"Good  lud,  no!  Of  course  she  couldn't.  What  utter 
rot.  But  see  here  —  come  to  think  of  it  now,  perhaps  / 
can.  It's  as  like  as  not  that  he  wanted  it  to  wash  himself 
with  before  he  went  over  to  the  shoer's  at  Shepperton  Old 
Cross  with  Chocolate  Maid.  I  forgot  to  tell  you,  Mr. 
Cleek,  that  ever  since  Dawson-Blake  made  that  attempt  to 
buy  him  off,  Farrow  became  convinced  that  it  wouldn't  be 
safe  to  leave  Highland  Lassie  unguarded  night  or  day  for 
fear  of  that  cad's  hirelings  getting  at  her  in  some  way  or 
another,  so  he  closed  up  his  cottage  and  came  to  Uve  in  the 
rooms  over  the  filly's  stable,  so  as  to  be  on  the  spot  for 
whatever  might  or  might  not  happen  at  any  hour.  He 
also  bought  a  yapping  httle  Scotch  terrier  that  would  bark 
if  a  match  fell,  and  kept  it  chained  up  in  the  place  with  him. 
When  the  discovery  of  the  filly's  disappearance  was  made 
that  dog  was  found  still  attached  to  its  chain,  but  as  dead 
as  Maria  Martin.     It  had  been  poisoned.     There  was  a  bit 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  125 

of  meat  lying  beside  the  body  and  it  was  literally  smothered 
in  strychnine." 

*' Quite  so.  Keep  strychnine  about  the  place  for  killing 
rats,  I  suppose?" 

*' Yes,  of  course.  They  are  a  perfect  pest  about  the  gran- 
ary and  the  fodder  bins.  But  of  course  it  wouldn't  be  lying 
round  loose  —  a  deadly  thing  Hke  that.  Besides,  there 
never  was  any  kept  in  that  particular  section  of  the  stables, 
so  the  dog  couldn't  have  got  hold  of  it  by  accident.  Then 
there's  another  thing  I  ought  to  tell  you,  Mr.  Cleek: 
Highland  Lassie  never  was  stabled  with  the  rest  of  the  stud. 
We  have  always  kept  her  in  one  especial  stable.  There  are 
just  two  whacking  big  box  stalls  in  the  place.  She  occupies 
one  and  Chocolate  Maid  the  other.  Chocolate  Maid  is 
Lady  Mary's  personal  property  —  a  fine,  blooded  filly  that 
will  make  a  name  for  herself  one  of  these  days,  I  fancy. 
Dark-coated  and  smooth  as  a  piece  of  sealskin,  the  beauty. 
To-day  she  is  the  only  animal  in  that  unlucky  place.  Yes, 
come  to  tiiink  of  it,  Mr.  Cleek,"  he  added  with  a  sort  of 
sigh, ''  that  is  probably  what  the  poor  fellow  wanted  the  pail 
of  water  for:  to  wash  up  and  ride  her  over  to  the  forge  at 
Shepperton  Old  Cross." 

"Singular  time  to  choose  for  such  a  proceeding,  wasn't 
it,  Major?    After  half-past  nine  o'clock  at  night." 

"It  would  be  if  it  were  any  other  man  and  under  any 
other  circumstances.  But  remember!  It  is  but  three  weeks 
to  Derby  Day  and  every  hour  of  daylight  is  worth  so  much 
gold  to  us.  Farrow  knew  that  he  could  not  spare  a  mo- 
ment of  it  for  any  purpose;  and  he  is  most  particular 
over  the  shoeing.  Will  see  it  done  himself  and  direct  the 
operation  personally.  Sort  of  mania  v/ith  him.  Wouldn't 
let  the  best  man  that  ever  Uved  take  one  of  the  horses  over 
for  him.  Go  himself,  no  matter  what  inconvenience  it  put 
him  to.  Farrier  at  Shepperton  Old  Cross  knows  his  httle 
*fads  and  fancies'  and  humours  them  at  all  times.    Would 


126  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

open  the  forge  and  fire  up  for  him  if  it  were  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning.'^ 

*'I  see.  And  did  he  take  Chocolate  Maid  over  there  on 
that  night,  after  all?" 

*'Yes.  Lady  Mary  and  I  attended  a  whist  drive  at 
Farmingdale  Priory  that  evening;  but  her  ladyship  was 
taken  with  a  violent  headache  and  we  had  to  excuse  our- 
selves and  leave  early.  It  would  be  about  a  quarter  to 
eleven  o'clock  when  we  returned  to  the  Abbey  and  met 
Farrow  riding  out  through  the  gates  on  Chocolate  Maid. 
We  stopped  and  spoke  to  him.  He  was  then  going  over  to 
the  shoer's  with  the  mare." 

"How  long  would  it  take  him  to  make  the  journey?" 

"Oh,  about  five-and-twenty  minutes  —  maybe  half  an 
hour:  certainly  not  more." 

"So  then  it  would  be  about  quarter-past  eleven  when  he 
arrived  at  the  farrier's?  I  see.  Any  idea  at  what  time  he 
got  back?" 

"Not  the  ghost  of  one.  In  fact,  we  should  never  have 
known  that  he  ever  did  get  back  —  for  nobody  heard  a 
sound  of  his  return  the  whole  night  long  —  were  it  not  that 
when  Captain  MacTavish  crossed  the  stableyard  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and,  seeing  the  door  ajar,  looked  in, 
he  found  Chocolate  Maid  standing  in  her  stall,  the  dog  dead, 
and  Highland  Lassie  gone.  Of  course.  Chocolate  Maid  being 
there  after  we  had  passed  Farrow  on  the  road  with  her  was 
proof  that  he  did  return  at  some  hour  of  the  night,  you  know: 
though  when  it  was,  or  why  he  should  have  gone  out  again, 
heaven  alone  knows.  Personally,  you  know,  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  Highland  Lassie  was  stolen  while  he  was 
absent;  that,  on  returning  he  discovered  the  robbery  and, 
following  the  trail,  went  out  after  the  robbers,  and,  coming 
up  with  them,  got  his  terrible  injuries  that  way.'^ 

"H'm!  Yes!  I  don't  think!  What  'trail'  was  he  to 
find,  please,  when  you  just  now  told  me  that  there  wasn't  so 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  nr 

much  as  a  hoof  print  to  tell  the  tale?    Or  was  that  an 
error?" 

*'No,  it  wasn't.  The  entire  stableyard  is  paved  with  red 
tiles,  and  we've  had  such  an  uncommon  spell  of  dry  weather 
lately  that  the  earth  of  the  surrounding  country  is  baked 
as  hard  as  a  brickbat.  An  elephant  couldn't  make  a  foot- 
mark upon  it,  much  less  a  horse.  But,  gravy,  man!  instead 
of  making  the  thing  clearer,  I'm  blest  if  you're  not  adding 
gloom  to  darkness,  and  rendering  it  more  mysterious  than 
ever.  What  under  the  four  corners  of  heaven  could  Farrow 
have  followed,  then,  if  the  Hrail'  is  to  be  eliminated  en- 
tirely?" 

**  Maybe  his  own  incHnation,  Major  —  maybe  nothing  at 
all,"  said  Cleek,  enigmatically.  ^'If  your  little  theory  of 
his  returning  and  finding  Highland  Lassie  stolen  were  a 
thing  that  would  hold  water  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
Mr.  Tom  Farrow  would  have  raised  an  alarm  that  you  could 
hear  for  half  a  mile,  and  that  if  he  had  started  out  after  the 
robbers  he  would  have  done  so  with  a  goodly  force  of  fol- 
lowers at  his  heels  and  with  all  the  lanterns  and  torches  that 
could  be  raked  and  scraped  together." 

^'Good  lud,  yes!  of  course  he  would.  I  never  thought 
of  that.  Did  you,  Mary?  His  whole  heart  and  soul  were 
bound  up  in  the  animal.  If  he  had  thought  that  anything 
had  happened  to  her,  if  he  had  known  that  she  was  gone,  a 
pitf ul  of  raging  devils  would  have  been  spirits  of  meekness 
beside  him.  Man  alive,  you  make  my  head  whiz.  For 
him  to  go  off  over  the  moor  without  word  or  cry  at  such  a 

time I  say,  Mr.  Cleek!    For  God's  sake,  what  do 

you  make  of  such  a  thing  as  that  at  such  a  time,  eh?  " 

^'Well,  Major,"  repHed  Cleek,  **I  hate  to  destroy  any 
man's  illusions  and  to  besmirch  any  man's  reputation,  but 
— que  voulez  vous?  If  Mr.  Tom  Farrow  went  out  upon  that 
moor  after  the  mare  was  stolen,  and  went  without  giving  an 
alarm  or  saying  a  word  to  anybody,  then  in  my  private 


128      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

opinion  your  precious  trainer  is  nothing  in  the  world  but  a 
precious  double-faced,  double-dealing,  dishonourable  black- 
guard, who  treacherously  sold  you  to  the  enemy  and  got 
just  what  he  deserved  by  way  of  payment." 

Major  Norcross  made  no  reply.  He  simply  screwed  up 
his  Ups  until  they  were  a  mere  pucker  of  Uttle  creases,  and 
looked  round  at  his  wife  with  something  of  the  pain  and 
hopeless  bewilderment  of  an  unjustly  scolded  child. 

"You  know,  Seton,  it  was  what  Captain  MacTavish  sug- 
gested," ventured  she,  gently  and  regretfully.     "And  when 

two  men  of  intellect "     Then  she  sighed  and  let  the  rest 

go  by  default. 

"Demmit,  Mary,  you  don't  mean  to  suggest  that  I 
haven't  any,  do  you?" 

"No,  dear;  but " 

"Buts  be  blowed!  Don't  you  think  I  know  a  man  when 
I  run  foul  of  him?  And  if  ever  there  was  a  square-deaHng, 

honest  chap  on  this  earth Look  here,  Mr.  Cleek. 

Gad!  you  may  be  a  bright  chap  and  all  that,  but  you'll 
have  to  give  me  something  a  blessed  sight  stronger  than 
mere  suspicion  before  you  can  make  me  believe  a  thing  Uke 
that  about  Tom  Farrow." 

"I  am  not  endeavouring  to  make  you  beHeve  it.  Major. 
I  am  merely  showing  you  what  would  certainly  be  the 
absolute  truth  of  the  matter  if  Tom  Farrow  had  done  what 
you  suggested,  and  gone  out  on  that  moor  alone  and  with- 
out a  word  or  a  cry  when  he  discovered  that  the  animal  was 
stolen.  But,  my  dear  sir,  I  incHne  to  the  belief  that  he 
never  did  go  out  there  after  any  person  or  any  living  thing 
whatsoever." 

"Then,  dash  it,  sir,  how  in  thunder  are  you  going  to  ex- 
plain his  being  there  at  all?" 

"By  the  simple  process.  Major,  of  suggesting  that  he 
was  on  his  way  back  to  the  Abbey  at  the  time  he  encoun- 
tered his  unknown  assailant.     In  other  words,  that  he  had 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  129 

not  only  never  returned  to  the  place  after  you  and  her 
ladyship  saw  him  leaving  it  at  a  quarter  to  eleven,  but  was 
never  permitted  to  do  so." 

''Oh,  come,  I  say!  That's  laying  it  on  too  thick.  How 
the  dickens  can  you  be  sure  of  such  a  thing  as  that?  " 

''I'm  not.  I  am  merely  laying  before  you  the  only  two 
things  possible  to  explain  his  presence  there.  One  or  the 
other  of  them  is  the  plain  and  absolute  truth.  If  the  man 
went  out  there  after  the  filly  was  stolen  he  is  a  scoundrel 
and  a  liar.  If  he  is  innocent,  he  met  with  his  injuries  on 
the  way  back  to  his  quarters  above  Highland  Lassie's 
stall." 

"But  the  other  animal?  But  Chocolate  Maid?  How 
could  she  have  got  back  to  the  stable,  then?  She  couldn't 
have  found  her  way  back  alone  after  Farrow  was  assaulted 
—  at  least,  she  could,  of  course,  but  not  in  the  condition  she 
was  in  when  found  next  morning.  She  had  no  harness  of 
any  sort  upon  her.  Her  saddle  was  on  its  peg.  She  was 
in  her  box  —  tied  up,  b'gad!  and  the  door  of  the  box  was 

closed  and  bolted;  so  that  if  by  any  chance Hullo! 

I  say!  What  on  earth  are  you  smihng  in  that  queer  way 
for?  Hang  it,  man!  do  you  believe  that  I  don't  know  what 
I'm  talking  about?" 

"Oh,  yes,  Major.  It  isn't  that  kind  of  a  smile.  I  have 
just  discovered  that  four  and  four  make  eight  when  you 
add  them  up  properly;  and  the  smile  is  one  of  consequent 
satisfaction.  A  last  question,  please.  At  what  time  in  the 
morning  was  Farrow  found  lying  unconscious  upon  the 
moor?  " 

' '  Somewhere  between  six  and  seven  o'clock.    Why? ' ' 

"Oh,  nothing  in  particular.  Who  found  him?  Captain 
MacTavish?" 

"No.     Maggie  McFarland.     She  was  just  coming  back 

from   milking   when Hang   it,    man !     I   wish   you 

wouldn't  smile  all  up  one  side  of  your  face  in  that  con- 


130  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

founded  manner.  It  makes  me  think  that  you  must  have 
something  up  your  sleeve." 

"Well,  if  I  have,  Major,  suppose  you  drive  me  over  to  the 
stables  and  give  me  a  chance  to  take  it  out?"  suggested 
Cleek,  serenely.  "A  little  'poking  about'  sometimes  does 
wonders,  and  a  half  hour  in  Highland  Lassie's  quarters  may 
pick  the  puzzle  to  pieces  a  great  deal  sooner  than  you'd 
beheve.  Or,  stop!  Perhaps,  on  second  thought,  it  will  be 
better  for  you  and  her  ladyship  to  go  on  ahead,  as  I  shall 
want  to  have  a  look  at  Tom  Farrow's  injuries  as  well,  so 
it  will  be  best  to  have  every- thing  prepared  in  advance,  in 
order  to  save  time.  No  doubt  Mr.  Narkom  and  I  can  get  a 
conveyance  of  some  sort  here.  At  any  rate  —  h'm !  it  is 
now  a  quarter  to  three,  I  see  —  at  any  rate,  you  may  cer- 
tainly expect  us  at  quarter-past  five.  You  and  her  lady- 
ship may  go  back  quite  openly,  Major.  There  will  be  no 
need  to  attempt  to  throw  dust  in  Sir  Gregory  Dawson- 
Blake's  eyes  any  longer  by  keeping  the  disappearance  of  the 
animal  a  secret.  If  he's  had  a  hand  in  her  spiriting  away, 
he  knows,  of  course,  that  she's  gone;  but  if  he  hasn't  —  oh, 
well,  I  fancy  I  know  who  did,  and  that  she  will  be  in  the 
running  on  Derby  Day  after  all.  A  few  minutes  in  High- 
land Lassie's  stable  will  settle  that,  I  feel  sure.  Your 
ladyship,  my  comphments.  Major,  good  afternoon.  I  hope 
if  night  overtakes  us  before  we  get  at  the  bottom  of  the 
thing  you  can  manage  to  put  us  up  at  the  Abbey  imtil  to- 
morrow that  we  may  be  on  the  spot  to  the  last?  " 

"With  pleasure,  Mr.  Cleek,"  said  Lady  Mary;  and  bowed 
him  out  of  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

IT  WAS  precisely  ten  minutes  past  five  o'clock  and  the 
long-lingering  May  twilight  was  but  just  beginning  to 
gather  when  the  spring  cart  of  the  Rose  and  Thistle  arrived 
at  the  Abbey  stables,  and  Cleek  and  Mr.  Narkora  descend- 
ing therefrom  found  themselves  the  centre  of  an  interested 
group  composed  of  the  major  and  Lady  Mary,  the  country- 
side doctor,  and  Captain  MacTavish. 

The  captain,  who  had  nothing  Scottish  about  him  but  his 
name,  was  a  smiling,  debonnaire  gentleman  with  flaxen 
hair  and  a  curling,  fair  moustache;  and  Cleek,  catching  sight 
of  him  as  he  stood  leaning,  in  a  carefully  studied  pose, 
against  the  stable  door-post  with  one  foot  crossed  over  the 
other,  one  hand  in  his  trousers  pocket  and  the  other  swing- 
ing a  hunting  crop  whose  crook  was  a  greyhound's  head 
wrought  in  solid  silver,  concluded  that  here  was,  perhaps, 
the  handsomest  man  of  his  day,  and  that,  in  certain  sec- 
tions of  society,  he  might  be  guaranteed  to  break  hearts  by 
the  hundred.  It  must  be  said  of  him,  however,  that  he  car- 
ried his  manifold  charms  of  person  with  smooth  serenity 
and  perfect  poise;  that,  if  he  realized  his  own  beauty,  he 
gave  no  outward  evidences  of  it.  He  was  calm,  serene 
well-bred,  and  had  nothing  of  the  ^'Doll"  or  the  ''Johnny" 
element  in  either  his  bearing  or  his  deportment.  He  was 
at  once  splendidly  composed  and  almost  insolently  bland. 

''Pleased  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Cleek.  Read  a  great  deal 
about  you  one  way  and  another,"  he  said,  when  the  major 
made  the  introduction  —  a  performance  which  the  captain 
evidently  considered  superfluous  as  between  an  army  officer 

131 


132  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

and  a  police  detective.  ''Sorry  I  shan't  be  able  to  remain 
and  study  your  interesting  methods,  however.  Should 
have  been  rather  pleased  to  do  so,  otherwise." 

"And  I  for  my  part  should  have  been  pleased  to  have  you 
do  so,  Captain,  I  assure  you,"  replied  Cleek,  the  first  intona- 
tion of  his  voice  causing  the  captain  to  twitch  up  his  head 
and  stare  at  him  as  if  he  were  a  monstrosity.  "Shall  you 
be  leaving  us,  then,  before  the  investigation  is  concluded?" 

"Well,  I'm  blest!  Why,  how  in  the  world  —  oh  —  er  — • 
yes.  Obliged  to  go.  Wire  from  London  this  afternoon. 
Regiment  sails  for  India  in  two  days.  Beastly  nuisance. 
Shall  miss  the  Derby  and  all  that.  By  the  way,  Norcross, 
if  this  chap  succeeds  in  finding  the  filly  in  time  for  the  race, 
that  little  bet  of  ours  stands,  of  course?  " 

"Of  course,"  agreed  the  major.  "Ready  are  you,  Mr. 
Cleek?  Right  you  are  —  come  along."  And  he  forthwith 
led  the  way  into  the  stable  where  Chocolate  Maid,  like  a 
perfect  horse  in  French  bronze,  stood  munching  hay  in  her 
box  as  contentedly  as  if  there  wxre  no  such  things  in  the 
world  as  touts  and  swindlers  and  horse  thieves,  and  her  com- 
panion of  two  days  ago  still  shared  the  quarters  with  her. 

"Gad!  but  she's  a  beauty  and  no  mistake.  Major,"  said 
Cleek  as  he  went  over  and,  leaning  across  the  low  barrier 
of  the  enclosure,  patted  the  mare's  shoulder  and  smoothed 
her  glossy  neck.  "I  don't  wonder  that  you  and  her  lady- 
ship have  such  high  hopes  for  her  future.  The  creature 
seems  well-nigh  perfect." 

"Yes,  she  is  a  pretty  good  bit  of  horseflesh,"  replied  he, 
"but  not  to  be  compared  with  Highland  Lassie  in  speed, 
wind,  or  anything.  There  she  is,  Mr.  Cleek;  and  it's  as 
natural  as  life,  the  beauty!" 

Speaking,  he  waved  his  hand  toward  a  framed  picture  of 
the  missing  animal  —  a  coloured  gift  plate  which  had  been 
given  away  with  the  Easter  number  of  The  Horseman,  and 
which  Farrow  had  had  glazed  and  hung  just  over  her  box. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      133 

Cleek,  following  the  direction  of  the  indicating  hand,  looked 
up  and  saw  the  counterfeit  presentment  of  a  splendidly  pro- 
portioned sorrel  with  a  splash  of  white  on  the  flank  and  a 
white  ''stocking"  on  the  left  forefoot. 

''A  beauty,  as  you  say,  Major,"  agreed  he,  ^'but  do  you 
know  that  I,  for  my  part,  prefer  the  charms  of  Chocolate 
Maid?  May  be  bad  judgment  upon  my  part  but  —  there 
you  are.  What  a  coat!  What  a  colour!  What  splendid 
legs,  the  beauty!  Mind  if  I  step  in  for  a  moment  and  have 
a  look  at  her?" 

The  major  did  not,  so  he  went  in  forthwith  and  proceeded 
to  look  over  the  animal's  points  —  feeling  her  legs,  stroking 
her  flanks,  examining  her  hoofs.  And  it  was  then  and  then 
only  that  the  major  remembered  about  the  visit  to  the  far- 
rier's over  at  Shepperton  Old  Cross  and  began  to  understand 
that  it  was  not  all  simple  admiration  of  the  animal,  this 
close  examination  of  her. 

"Oh,  by  Jove!  I  say!"  he  blurted  out  as  he  made  —  with 
Cleek  —  a  sudden  discovery;  his  face  going  first  red  and 
then  very  pale  under  the  emotions  thus  engendered.  "She 
hasnH  any  new  shoes  on,  has  she?  So  she  can't  have  been 
taken  to  the  farrier's  after  all." 

"No,"  said  Cleek,  "she  can't.  I  half  suspected  that  she 
hadn't,  so  —  well,  let  it  go.  Let's  have  a  look  round  High- 
land Lassie's  box,  please.  H'm!  Yes!  Very  nice;  very 
splendid  —  everything  of  the  best  and  all  in  apple  pie  order. 
By  the  way,  Major,  you  surely  don't  allow  harness  to  be 
washed  and  oiled  in  here?  " 

"  Certainly  not!  What  in  the  world  could  have  put  such 
an  idea  into  your  head?" 

"Merely  that  bit  of  rag  and  that  dirty  sponge  tucked  in 
the  corner  over  there  and  half  covered  by  the  bedding." 

The  major  went  over  and  touched  the  things  with  the 
toe  of  his  boot. 

"It's  one  of  those  imps  of  stable-boys,  the  young  van- 


134      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

dais!"  he  declared,  as  he  kicked  the  rag  and  the  sponge  out 
of  the  box  and  across  the  stable  floor.  *'It's  well  for  them 
that  Farrow  isn't  about  or  there  would  be  some  cuffed  ears 
for  that  sort  of  presumption,  the  young  beggars!  Hullo! 
Found  something  else?" 

"No,"  said  Cleek.  ''That  is,  nothing  of  any  importance. 
Merely  a  bit  torn  from  an  old  handbill  —  see?  It  probably 
got  mixed  up  with  the  bedding.  It's  of  no  account,  any- 
how." Here  he  gave  his  hand  a  flirt  as  if  flinging  the  bit  of 
paper  over  the  low  barrier  of  the  box,  instead  of  which  he 
cleverly  ''palmed"  it  and  afterward  conveyed  it  unsuspected 
to  his  pocket.  "You  were  right  in  what  you  declared  this 
afternoon,  Major;  for  a  case  of  such  far-reaching  effects 
it  is  singularly  bald  in  the  matter  of  detail.  At  all  events 
there's  no  more  to  be  discovered  here.  By  the  way,  Doc- 
tor, am  I  privileged  to  go  up  and  see  the  patient?  I  should 
like  to  do  so  if  I  may." 

"By  all  means,  sir,  by  all  means,"  replied  the  doctor. 
"I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  his  condition  has  consid- 
erably improved  since  my  visit  at  noon,  Mr.  Cleek,  and  I 
have  now  every  hope  that  he  may  pull  through  all  right." 

"Excellent!"  said  Cleek.  "But  I  think  I  shouldn't  let 
that  good  news  go  abroad  just  yet  a  while.  Doctor.  If  you 
haven't  taken  anybody  into  your  confidence  regarding  it 
as  yet,  don't  do  so.    You  haven't,  have  you?  " 

"No.  That  is,  nobody  but  those  who  are  now  present. 
I  told  the  major  and  her  ladyship  on  their  return  this  after- 
noon, of  course.  And  —  naturally  —  Captain  MacTavish. 
He  was  with  me  at  the  time  I  made  the  examination,  which 
led  me  to  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  the  man  would  sur- 


Vive. 


"Ah!"  said  Cleek  —  and  the  curious,  one-sided  smile 
went  slowly  up  his  cheek.  "Oh,  well,  everything  is  all  right 
among  friends,  of  course,  but  I  shouldn't  let  it  go  any  farther. 
And  now,  if  you  please,  let  us  go  up  to  Farrow's  room." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      135 

They  went  up  forthwith  —  Lady  Mary  alone  refraining 
from  joining  the  group  —  and  a  moment  or  two  later  Cleek 
foimd  himself  standing  beside  the  bed  of  the  unconscious 
trainer. 

He  was  a  strong,  sturdily  built  man,  this  Tom  Farrow, 
upon  whose  integrity  the  major  banked  so  heavily  in  his 
warm,  trustful,  outspoken  way;  and  if  the  face  is  any  index 
to  the  mind  —  which,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  it  isn't!  — 
that  trustfulness  and  confidence  were  not  misplaced.  For 
Farrow's  was  a  frank,  open  countenance  which  suggested  a 
clear  conscience  and  an  honest  nature,  even  though  it  was 
now  pale  and  drawn  with  the  line  ^hat  come  of  suffering 
and  injury. 

At  Cleek's  request  the  doctor  removed  the  bandages  and 
allowed  him  to  inspect  the  wound  at  the  back  of  the  head. 

"  H 'm !  Made  with  a  heavy  imp lemen t  shaped  somewhat 
after  the  fashion  of  a  golf  stick  and  almost  as  heavy  as  a 
sledge  hanomer,"  he  commented.  ^^Arm  broken,  too.  Prob- 
ably that  was  done  first,  and  the  man  struck  again  after 
he  was  on  the  ground  and  unable  to  defend  himself.  There 
are  two  blows,  you  see:  this  one  just  above  the  ear,  and  that 
crushing  one  at  the  back  of  the  head.  That's  all  I  care  to 
see,  Doctor,  thank  you.    You  may  replace  the  bandages.'* 

Nevertheless,  although  he  asserted  this,  it  was  noticeable 
that  his  examination  of  the  stricken  trainer  did  not  end 
here;  for  while  the  doctor  was  busy  replacing  the  bandages 
he  took  the  opportunity  to  Hf  t  the  man's  hands  and  inspect 
them  closely  —  parting  the  fingers  and  looking  at  the  thin, 
loose  folds  of  skin  between  them.  A  few  minutes  later,  the 
bandages  being  replaced  and  the  patient  turned  over  to  the 
nurse  in  charge,  the  entire  party  left  the  room  and  filed 
down  the  stairs  together. 

"Any  ideas,  Mr.  Cleek?"  questioned  the  major,  eagerly. 

"Yes,  plenty  of  them,"  replied  he.  "I  rather  fancy  we 
shall  not  have  to  put  you  to  the  trouble  of  housing  us  at  the 


136      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Abbey  to-night,  Major.  The  case  is  a  shallower  one  than 
I  fancied  at  first.  Shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we  cleared  it  all 
up  inside  of  the  next  two  hours." 

^'Well,  I'll  be  —  dithered!"  exclaimed  the  major,  aghast. 
*^Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you've  got  at  the  bottom  of 
the  thing?  That  you've  found  something  that  leads  you  to 
suspect  where  the  animal  is?  " 

*'More  than  suspect,  Major.  I  know  where  she  is.  By 
half-past  seven  o'clock  to-night  —  if  you  want  me  to  make 
you  a  promise  —  I'll  put  her  bridle  into  your  hands  and 
she  will  be  at  the  other  end  of  it ! " 

''You  will?" 

"I  certainly  will,  Major  —  my  word  for  it." 

*'Well,  of  all  the  dashed I'm  done!    I'm  winded! 

I'm  simply  scooped  dry!  Where  on  earth  did  you  get  your 
clues,  man?    You  never  did  anything  but  walk  about  that  I 

could  see;  and  now  to  declare 1  say,  MacTavish,  did 

you  hear  that?  Did  you  hear  what  he  has  uromised  — 
eh?" 

''I  heard,"  responded  the  captain  with  a  laugh.  ''But  I'll 
believe  when  I  see.  I  say,  Mr.  Inspector,  where  did  you 
find  the  secret?  Hidden  between  Farrow's  fingers  oi 
wrapped  around  Chocolate  Maid's  legs?" 

"Both,"  said  Cleek  serenely.  "Tell  you  something  else 
if  you  care  to  hear  it.  I  know  who  poisoned  the  dog  the 
other  night.     Farrow  did  it  himself." 

The  major's  exclamation  of  indignation  was  quite  lost  in 
the  peal  of  the  captain's  laughter. 

Hawkshaw    out-Hawkshawed ! "    cried    he    derisively. 

Find  out  that,  too,  from  Farrow's  fingers?" 

"Oh,  no  —  that  would  be  impossible.  He  washed  them 
before  he  went  out  that  night  and  they've  been  washed  by 
the  nurse  several  times  since.  I  found  it  out  from  the  dog 
himself  —  and  he's  not  the  only  dog  in  this  little  business, 
beheve  me  —  though  I'm  wilHng  to  stake  my  reputation  and 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      137 

my  life  upon  it  that  neither  one  nor  the  other  of  them  had 
any  hand  in  spiriting  away  the  missing  horse." 

*^Who  did,  then,  Mr.  Cleek?  who  did?" 

"Tom  Farrow  and  Tom  Farrow  alone.  Major,"  began 
Cleek  —  and  then  stopped  suddenly,  interrupted  by  a  pain- 
ful circumstance. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and 
were  filing  out  into  the  stable  again,  and  there  by  the  open 
door  Lady  Mary  Norcross  was  standing  endeavouring  to 
soothe  and  to  comfort  a  weeping  girl  —  Maggie  McFar- 
land,  the  dairymaid  from  Nairn. 

"Oh,  but  say  he  winna  dee  —  say  he  winna!"  she  was 
crying  out  distressfully.  "If  I  thoct  the  sin  o'  that  wad 
added  to  the  sair  conscience  o'  me."  Then  with  a  sudden 
intaking  of  the  breath,  as  if  drowning,  and  a  sudden  pale- 
ness that  made  her  face  seem  ivory  white,  she  cowered 
away,  with  hands  close  shut,  and  eyes  wide  with  fright  as 
she  looked  up  and  saw  the  gentlemen  descending. 

"It  winna  matter  —  it  winna  matter:  I  can  come  again, 
my  leddy!"  she  said  in  a  frightened  sort  of  whisper  which 
rose  suddenly  to  a  sort  of  waiHng  cry  as  she  faced  round 
and  ran  Hke  a  thing  pursued. 

Cleek  glanced  round  quietly  and  looked  at  Captain  Mac- 
Tavish.  He  was  still  his  old  handsome,  debonnaire,  smiling 
self;  but  there  was  a  look  in  his  eyes  which  did  not  make 
them  a  very  pleasant  sight  at  present. 

"Upon  my  word,  Seton,  I  cannot  make  out  what  has  come 
over  that  silly  girl,"  said  Lady  Mary  as  her  liege  lord  ap- 
peared. "She  came  here  begging  to  be  allowed  to  go  up  and 
see  Farrow  and  to  be  assured  that  he  would  live,  and  then 
the  moment  you  all  put  in  an  appearance  she  simply  dashed 
away,  as  you  saw.  I  really  cannot  understand  what  can 
be  the  matter  with  her." 

"Don't  bother  about  that  just  now,  Mary;  don't  bother 
about  anything,  my  dear,  but  what  this  amazing  man  has 


138      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YAED 

promised, '^  exclaimed  the  major  excitedly.  "Do  you  know, 
he  has  declared  that  if  we  give  him  until  half-past  seven  to- 
night   " 

Here  Cleek  interrupted. 

"Your  pardon,  Major  —  I  amend  that,"  he  said.  "''I 
know  all  about  the  horse  and  it  will  not  now  take  so  long  as 
I  thought  to  know  all  about  the  '  dog'  as  well.  Give  me  one 
hour,  Major  —  just  one,  gentlemen,  all  —  and  I  will  give 
you  the  answer  to  the  riddle  —  every  part  of  it:  dog's  part 
as  well  as  horse's  —  here  on  this  spot,  so  surely  as  I  am  a 
living  man.  Major,  all  I  ask  of  you  is  one  thing.  Let  me 
have  a  couple  of  your  grooms  out  there  on  the  moor  inside 
of  the  next  fifteen  minutes,  please.     May  I  have  them?  " 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Cleek  —  as  many  as  you  want." 

"Two  will  do,  thanks.  Two  are  enough  for  fair  play  in 
any  little  bout  and  —  not  going  to  stop  and  see  the  finish, 
Captain?     It  will  all  be  over  in  an  hour." 

"Sorry,  but  I've  got  my  packing  to  attend  to,  my  man." 

"Ah,  to  be  sure.  Oh,  well,  it  doesn't  matter.  You  know 
the  proverb:  ^If  the  mountain  will  not  come  to  Mahomet, 
why,  Mahomet  must  go  to  the  mountain,'  of  course,"  said 
Cleek.  "I'll  just  slip  round  to  the  dairy  and  have  a  glass 
of  milk  to  brace  me  up  for  the  business  and  then  —  in  one 
hour  —  in  just  one  by  the  watch  —  you  shall  have  the  an- 
swer to  the  riddle  —  here^ 

Then,  with  a  bow  to  Lady  Mary,  he  walked  out  of  the 
stable  and  went  round  the  angle  of  the  building  after  Maggie 
McFarland. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

HE  LIVED  up  to  the  letter  of  his  promise. 
In  an  hour  he  had  said  when  he  walked  out,  and 
it  was  an  hour  to  the  very  tick  of  the  minute  when  he  came 
back. 

Mr.  Narkom  knowing  him  so  well,  knowing  how,  in  the 
final  moments  of  his  coups,  he  was  apt  to  become  somewhat 
spectacular  and  theatrical,  looked  for  him  to  return  with  a 
flourish  of  trumpets  and  carry  all  before  him  with  a  whirl- 
wind rush;  so  that  it  came  in  the  nature  of  a  great  surprise, 
when  with  the  calmness  of  a  man  coming  in  to  tea  he  entered 
the  stable  with  a  large  stone  bottle  in  one  hand  and  an 
hostler's  sponge  in  the  other. 

^' Well,  gentlemen,  I  am  here,  you  see,"  he  said  with  ex- 
treme calmness.  ''And  "  —  indicating  the  bottle  —  ''have 
brought  something  with  me  to  do  honour  to  the  event.  No, 
not  to  drink  —  it  is  hardly  that  sort  of  stuff.  It  is  Spirit  of 
Wine,  Major.  I  found  it  over  in  Farrow's  cottage  and 
have  brought  it  with  me  —  as  he,  poor  chap,  meant  to  do 
in  time  himself.  There  are  some  wonderful  things  in  Tom 
Farrow's  cottage.  Major;  they  will  pay  for  looking  into,  I 
assure  you.  Pardon,  Mr.  Narkom?  A  criminal?  Oh,  no, 
my  friend  —  a  martyr! '^ 

"A  martyr?" 

"Yes,  your  ladyship;  yes.  Major  —  a  martyr.  A  mar- 
tyr to  his  love,  a  martyr  to  his  fidelity.  As  square  a  man 
and  as  faithful  a  trainer  as  ever  set  foot  in  a  stableyard — 
that's  Tom  Farrow.  I  take  off  my  hat  to  him.  The  world 
can  do  with  more  of  his  kind." 

139 


140  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''But,  my  dear  sir,  you  said  that  it  was  he  that  spirited 
away  the  animal;  that  it  was  he  and  he  alone  who  was  re- 
sponsible for  her  disappearance.'' 

''Quite  so  —  and  I  say  it  again.  Gently,  gently,  Major 
—  I'll  come  to  it  in  a  minute.  Personally  I  should  like 
to  put  it  off  to  the  last,  it's  such  a  fine  thing  for  a  finish,  by 
Jove!  But  —  well  it  can't  be  done  under  the  circum- 
stances. In  other  words,  there  is  a  part  of  this  little  busi- 
ness this  evening  which  I  must  ask  Lady  Mary  not  to  stop 
to  either  hear  or  see;  but  as  she  is  naturally  interested  in  the 
matter  of  Highland  Lassie's  disappearance  I  will  take  up 
that  matter  first  and  ask  her  to  kindly  withdraw  after  the 
filly  has  been  restored." 

"Gad!  you've  found  her,  then?    You've  got  her?" 

"Yes,  Major,  I've  got  her.  And  as  I  promised  that  I 
would  put  her  bridle  into  your  hand  with  the  animal  herself 
at  the  other  end  of  it,  why  —  here  you  are!" 

Speaking,  he  walked  across  to  the  box  where  the  brown 
filly  was  tethered,  unbolted  it,  unfastened  the  animal  and 
led  her  out. 

"Here  you  are.  Major,"  he  said,  as  he  tendered  him  the 
halter.  "Take  hold  of  her,  the  beauty;  and  may  she  carry 
off  the  Derby  Stakes  with  fl>ang  coloars." 

"But,  good  lud,  man,  what  on  earth  are  you  talking 
about?   This  is  Chocolate  Maid — this  is  Lady  Mary's  horse.' ' 

"Oh,  no.  Major,  oh,  no!  Chocolate  Maid  is  in  the  stable 
at  Farrow's  cottage  —  hidden  away  and  half  starved,  poor 
creature,  because  he  couldn't  go  back  to  feed  and  look  after 
her.  This  is  your  bonny  Highland  Lassie  —  dyed  to  look 
like  the  other  and  to  throw  possible  horse  nobblers  and 
thieves  off  the  scent.     If  you  doubt  it,  look  here." 

He  uncorked  the  bottle,  poured  some  of  the  Spirit  of 
Wine  on  the  sponge  and  rubbed  the  animal's  brown  flank. 
The  dark  colour  came  away,  the  sorrel  hide  and  the  white 
splotch  began  to  appear,  and  before  you  could  say  Jack 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  141 

Robinson,  the  major  and  Lady  Mary  had  their  arms  about 
the  animal's  neck  and  were  blubbing  like  a  couple  of 
children. 

''Oh,  my  bully  girl!  Oh,  my  spiffing  girl!  Oh,  Mary, 
isn't  it  clinking,  dear?  The  Lassie  —  the  Highland  Lassie 
—  her  own  bonny  self." 

"Yes,  her  own  bonny  self.  Major,"  said  Cleek  "and  you'd 
never  have  had  a  moment's  worry  over  her  if  that  faithful 
fellow  upstairs  had  been  suffered  to  get  back  here  that 
night  and  to  tell  you  about  it  in  the  morning.  I've  had  a 
little  talk  with  —  oh,  well,  somebody  who  is  in  a  position  to 
give  me  information  that  corroborates  my  own  little 
*  shots'  at  the  matter  (I'll  tell  you  all  about  that  later  on), 
and  so  am  able  to  tell  you  a  thing  or  two  that  you  ought  to 
have  known  before  this!  I  don't  know  whether  Lieutenant 
Chadwick's  coming  here  and  prying  about  had  any  wish  to 
do  harm  to  the  horse  at  the  back  of  it  or  not.  I  only  know 
that  Farrow  thought  it  had,  and  he  played  this  little  trick 
to  block  the  game  and  to  throw  dust  into  the  eyes  of  any- 
body that  attempted  to  get  at  her.  What  he  did  then  was 
to  dye  her  so  that  she  might  be  mistaken  for  Chocolate 
Maid,  then  to  take  Chocolate  Maid  over  to  his  own  stable 
and  hide  her  there  until  the  time  came  to  start  for  Epsom. 
That's  what  he  wanted  the  pail  of  water  for,  Major  —  to 
mix  the  dye  and  to  apply  it.  I  half  suspected  it  from  the 
beginning,  but  I  became  sure  of  it  when  I  found  that  scrap 
of  paper  in  the  bedding  of  the  box.  It  was  still  wet  —  a 
bit  of  the  label  from  the  dye-bottle  which  came  off  in  the 
operation.  Between  the  poor  chap's  fingers  I  found  stains 
of  the  dye  still  remaining.  Spirit  of  Wine  would  have  re- 
moved it,  but  washing  in  water  wouldn't.  Pardon,  your 
ladyship?  When  did  I  begin  to  suspect  that  Farrow  was 
at  the  bottom  of  it?  Oh,  when  first  I  heard  of  the  poisoned 
dog.  Nobody  ever  heard  it  bark  when  the  poisoner  ap- 
proached the  stables.    That,  of  course,  meant  that  the 


142      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

person  who  administered  the  poison  must  have  been  some 
one  with  whom  it  w^as  famihar,  and  also  some  one  who  w^as 
already  inside  the  place,  since  even  the  first  approaching 
step  of  friend  or  foe  would  have  called  forth  one  soHtary 
bark  at  least.  Farrow  didn't  do  the  thing  by  halves,  you 
see.  He  meant  it  to  look  Hke  a  genuine  case  of  horse 
steahng  to  outsiders,  and  kilUng  the  dog  gave  it  just  that 
touch  of  actuaUty  which  carries  conviction.  As  for  the  rest 
—  the  major  must  tell  you  that  in  private,  your  ladyship. 
The  rest  of  this  little  matter  is  for  men  alone." 

Lady  Mary  bowed  and  passed  out  into  the  fast  coming 
dusk;  and,  in  the  stable  the  major,  Cleek  and  Narkom 
stood  together,  waiting  until  she  was  well  beyond  earshot. 
"Now,  Major,  we  will  get  down  to  brass  tacks,  as  our 
American  cousins  say,"  said  Cleek,  when  that  time  at 
length  came.  ''You  would  like  to  know,  I  suppose,  how 
poor  Farrow  came  by  his  injuries  and  from  whose  hand. 
Well,  you  shall.  He  was  coming  back  from  his  cottage 
after  stabUng  the  real  Chocolate  Maid  there  when  the  thing 
happened;  and  he  received  those  injuries  for  rushing  to  the 
defence  of  the  woman  he  loved,  and  attempting  to  thrash 
the  blackguard  who  had  taken  advantage  of  her  trust  and 
behef  in  him  to  spoil  her  life  forever.  The  woman  was,  of 
course,  Maggie  McFarland.  The  man  was  your  charming 
guest,  Captain  MacTavish!" 

"Good  God!  MacTavish?  MacTa\dsh?" 
"Yes,  Major  —  the  gallant  captain  who  received  such  a 
sudden  call  to  rejoin  his  regiment  as  soon  as  he  knew  that 
Tom  Farrow  was  Hkely  to  recover  and  to  speak.  Perhaps 
you  can  understand  now  why  Farrow  and  the  girl  no  longer 
seemed  to  'hit  it  off  together  as  formerly.'  The  gallant 
captain  had  come  upon  the  boards.  Dazzled  by  the  beauty 
of  him,  tricked  by  the  glib  tongue  of  him,  deluded  into  the 
behef  that  she  had  actually  '  caught  a  gentleman'  and  that 
he  really  meant  to  make  her  his  wife  and  take  her  away  to 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  143 

India  with  him,  when  he  went,  the  silly,  innocent,  confiding 
little  idiot  became  his  victim  and  threw  over  a  good  man's 
love  for  a  handful  of  Dead  Sea  Fruit." 

"Never  for  one  instant  had  Tom  Farrow  an  idea  of  this; 
but  the  night  before  last  as  he  crossed  the  moor  —  he  knew! 
In  the  darkness  he  stumbled  upon  the  truth.  He  heard 
her  crying  out  to  the  fellow  to  do  her  justice,  to  keep  his 
word  and  make  her  the  honest  wife  he  had  promised  that 
she  should  be,  and  he  heard,  too,  the  man's  characteristic 
reply.  You  can  guess  what  happened,  Major,  when  you 
know  Tom  Farrow.  In  ten  seconds  he  was  up  and  at  that 
fellow  like  a  mad  bull. 

''The  girl,  terrified  out  of  her  life,  screamed  and  ran 
away,  seeing  the  brave  captain  laying  about  liim  with  his 
heavy,  silver-headed  hunting  crop  as  she  fled.  She  never 
saw  the  end  of  the  fight  —  she  never  dared;  but  in  the  morn- 
ing when  there  was  no  Tom  Farrow  to  be  seen,  she  went  out 
there  on  the  moor  and  found  him.  She  would  have  spoken 
then  had  she  dared,  poor  creature,  but  the  man's  threat  was 
an  effective  one.  If  she  spoke  he  would  do  likewise.  If 
she  kept  silent  she  might  go  away  and  her  disgrace  be  safely 
hidden.     Which  she  chose,  we  know." 

''The  damned  hound!" 

"Oh,  no.  Major,  oh,  no  —  that's  too  hard  on  hounds. 
The  only  houndlike  thing  about  that  interesting  gentleman 
was  that  he  made  an  attempt  to  'get  to  cover'  and  to  run 
away.  I  knew  that  he  would  —  I  knew  that  that  was  his 
little  dodge  when  he  made  that  little  excuse  about  having 
to  pack  up  his  effects.  He  saw  how  the  game  was  running 
and  he  meant  to  slip  the  cable  and  clear  out  while  he  had 
the  chance." 

"And  you  let  him  do  it?  —  you  never  spoke  a  word,  but 
let  the  blackguard  do  it?     Gad,  sir,  I'm  ashamed  of  you!" 

"You  needn't  be,  Major,  on  that  score  at  least.  Please 
remember  that  I  asked  for  a  couple  of  grooms  to  be  sta- 


144      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

tioned  on  the  moor  I  gave  them  their  orders  and  then 
went  on  to  Farrow's  cottage  alone.  If  they  have  followed 
out  those  orders  we  shall  soon  see." 

Here  he  stepped  to  the  door  of  the  stable,  put  his  two 
forefingers  between  his  lips  and  whistled  shrilly.  In  half  a 
minute  more  the  two  grooms  came  into  the  stable,  and  be- 
tween them  the  gallant  captain,  tousled  and  rather  dirty, 
and  with  his  beautiful  hair  and  moustache  awry. 

"Got  him,  my  lads,  I  see,"  said  Cleek. 

"Yes,  sir.  Nabbed  him  sneakin'  out  the  back  way  like 
you  thought  he  would,  sir,  and  bein'  as  you  said  it  was  the 
major's  orders,  we  copped  him  on  the  jump  and  have  been 
holdin'  of  him  for  further  orders  ever  since." 

"Well,  you  can  let  him  go  now,"  said  Cleek,  serenely. 
"And  just  give  your  attention  to  locking  the  door  and  light- 
ing up.  Major,  Doctor,  Mr.  Narkom,  pray  be  seated. 
The  dear  captain  is  going  to  give  you  all  a  little  entertain- 
ment and  the  performance  is  about  to  begin.  As  good 
with  your  fists  as  you  are  with  a  metal-headed  hunting  crop, 
Captain?" 

"None  of  your  dashed  business  what  I'm  good  at,"  re- 
plied the  captain.     "Look  here,  Norcross  — ■ — ^" 

"You  cut  that  at  once ! "  roared  the  major.  "If  you  open 
your  head  to  me,  I'll  bang  it  off  you,  you  brute." 

"Well,  then  you,  Mr.  Policeman " 

"Ready  for  you  in  a  minute.  Captain;  don't  get  impa- 
tient," said  Cleek,  as  he  laid  aside  his  coat  and  began  to  roll 
up  his  sleeves.  "Rome  wasn't  built  in  a  day  —  though 
beauty  may  be  wrecked  in  a  minute.  You'll  have  the  time 
of  your  life  this  evening.  You  are  really  too  beautiful  to 
live,  Captain,  and  I'm  going  to  come  as  near  to  kilhng  you 
as  I  know  how  without  actually  completing  the  job.  You 
see,  that  poor  little  Highland  lassie  hasn't  a  father  or 
brother  to  do  this  business  for  her,  so  she's  kindly  consented 
to  my  taking  it  on  in  her  behalf.     I'm  afraid  I  shall  break 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  145 

that  lovely  nose  of  yours,  my  gay  gallant  —  and  I  don't 
give  a  damn  if  I  do!  A  brute  that  spoils  a  woman's  life 
deserves  to  go  through  the  world  with  a  mark  to  record  it, 
and  I'm  going  to  put  one  on  you  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 
All  seated,  gentlemen?  Right  you  are.  Now  then,  Cap- 
tain, come  on.     Come  on  —  you  swine!  ^^ 

It  was  twenty  minutes  later. 

Lady  Mary  Norcross  —  deep  in  the  obligatory  business 
of  dressing  for  dinner  —  had  just  taken  up  a  powder  puff 
and  was  assiduously  dabbing  the  back  of  her  neck,  when  the 
door  behind  her  opened  softly  and  the  voice  of  her  liege 
lord  travelled  across  the  breadth  of  the  room,  saying: 

^*Mary !  May  I  come  in  a  minute,  dear?  I  just  want  to 
get  my  cheque  book  out  of  your  writing  desk  —  that's  all." 

*' Yes,  certainly.  Come  in  by  all  means,"  gave  back  her 
ladyship.  ^'I'm  quite  alone.  Springer  has  finished  with 
me,  and  oh!     Good  heavens!     Seton!     My  dear,  my  dearP^ 

''All  right.  Don't  get  frightened.  It  isn't  mine.  And 
it  isn't  his,  either  —  much  of  it.  We've  been  having  a  little 
'set  to'  at  the  stable,  and  I  got  it  hugging  a  poHceman." 

"Seton!" 

"Yes  —  I  know  it's  awful,  but  I  simply  couldn't  help  it. 
Demmit  it,  Mary,  don't  look  so  shocked  —  I'd  have  kissed 
the  beggar  as  well,  if  I  thought  I  could  acquire  the  trick  of 
that  heavenly  'jab  with  the  left'  that  way.  I  haven't  had 
such  a  beautiful  time  since  the  day  I  was  twenty-one,  darhng; 
he  fights  like  a  blooming  angel ^  that  chap." 

"What  chap?     What  on  earth  are  you  talking  about? " 

"That  man  Cleek.  Weeping  Widows!  It  was  the 
prettiest  job  you  ever  saw.     We're  sending  the  beggar  over 

to  the  hospital  —  and Tell  you  all  about  it  when  J 

get  back.     Can't  stop  just  now,  dear.     Bye,  bye!" 

Then  the  door  closed  with  a  smack,  and  man  and  cheque 
book  were  on  their  way  downstairs. 


CHAPTER  XV 

IT  IS  a  recognized  fact  in  police  circles  that  crime  has  a 
curious  propensity  for  indulging  in  periodical  outbursts 
of  great  energy,  great  fecundity,  and  then  lapsing  into  a 
more  or  less  sporadic  condition  for  a  time  —  like  a  gorged 
tiger  that  drowses,  and  stirs  only  to  lick  its  chops  after  a 
hideous  feast.  So  that  following  the  lines  of  these  fixed 
principles  the  recent  spell  of  criminal  activity  was  succeeded 
by  a  sort  of  lull,  and  the  next  two  weeks  were  idle  ones  for 
Cleek. 

Idle  but  idyllic  —  from  his  point  of  view;  for  he  was  back 
in  the  little  house  in  the  pleasant  country  lands  now,  mth 
his  walled  garden,  his  ferns  and  liis  flowers,  and  the  full  glory 
of  tuHp-time  was  here. 

And  soon  another  ''glory"  would  be  here  as  well. 

In  twelve  more  days  she  would  be  back  in  England.  In 
twelve  more  days  he  and  Dollops  would  move  out,  and  Ailsa 
Lome  would  move  in,  and  this  little  Eden  in  the  green  and 
fragrant  meadowlands  would  have  another  tenant  from 
that  time  forth. 

But  hers  would  not  be  a  lonely  tenancy,  however;  for 
*^  Captain  Horatio  Burdage"  had  recently  written  to  Mrs. 
Condiment  that,  as  the  Sleeping  Mermaid  seemed  Hkely 
to  prove  an  unprofitable  investment  after  all  and  to  bring 
her  little  reward  for  her  labours,  he  purposed  relinquishing 
it  and  recalling  "Old  Joseph"  to  him;  and  with  that  end  in 
view  had  already  secured  for  the  good  lady  a  position  as 
companion-housekeeper  to  one  Miss  Ailsa  Lome,  who,  in 
the  early  part  of  June,  would  call  upon  her  at  her  present 

146 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  147 

qaarters  and  personally  conduct  her  and  the  deaf-and-dumb 
maid-of- all- work  to  their  future  ones. 

Kere,  then,  in  this  bower  of  bloom,  would  this  dear  girl 
of  his  heart  await  the  coming  of  that  glorious  day  when  the 
last  act  of  restitution  had  been  made,  the  last  Vanishing 
Cracksman  debt  wiped  off  the  slate,  and  he  could  go  to 
her  —  clean-handed  at  last  —  to  ask  the  fulfilment  of  her 
promise. 

Remembering  that,  it  was  a  sheer  delight  to  be  free  from 
all  Yard  calls  for  a  time  that  he  might  give  his  whole  atten- 
tion to  the  work  of  getting  the  place  ready  for  her;  and  day 
after  day  he  was  busy  in  the  high-walled  old-world  gar- 
den —  digging,  planting,  pruning  —  that  when  she  came  it 
might  be  brimming  over  with  flowers. 

But  although  he  devoted  himself  mind  and  body  to  this 
task  and  Hved  each  day  within  the  limits  of  that  confining 
wall,  he  had  not  wholly  lost  touch  with  the  world  at  large, 
for  each  morning  the  telephone  —  installed  against  the  time 
of  Ailsa's  tenancy  —  put  him  into  communication  with  Mr. 
Narkom  at  the  Yard,  and  each  night  a  newspaper  carried 
in  to  him  by  Dollops  kept  him  abreast  of  the  topics  of  the 
times. 

It  was  over  that  telephone  he  received  the  first  assurance 
that  his  haste  in  getting  out  of  Yorkshire  had  not  been  an 
xmnecessary  precaution,  his  suspicions  regarding  the  prob- 
able action  of  the  Nosworths  not  ill  grounded,  for  Mr. 
Narkom  was  able  to  inform  him  that  carefully  made  in- 
quiries had  eHcited  the  intelUgence  that,  within  two  days 
after  the  Round  House  affair,  men  who  were  undoubtedly 
foreigners  were  making  dihgent  inquiries  throughout  the 
West  Riding  regarding  the  whereabouts  of  two  men  and  a 
boy  who  had  been  travelhng  about  in  a  two-horsed  caravan. 

*'That  sudden  bolt  of  ours  was  a  jolly  good  move,  old 
chap,"  said  the  superintendent,  when  he  made  this  an- 
nouncement.    ''It  did  the  beggars  absolutely.     Shouldn't 


148  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

be  a  bit  surprised  if  they'd  chucked  the  business  as  a  bad 
job  and  gone  back  to  the  Continent  disgusted.  At  any 
rate,  none  of  my  plain-clothes  men  has  seen  hide  nor  hair 
of  one  of  the  lot  since,  either  in  town  or  out.  Waldem^ar, 
too,  seems  to  have  hooked  it  and  can't  be  traced;  so  I 
reckon  we've  seen  the  last  of  him." 

But  Cleek  was  not  so  sure  of  that.  He  had  his  own  ideas 
as  to  what  this  disappearance  of  the  Apaches  meant,  and 
did  not  allow  himself  to  be  lulled  into  any  sense  of  security 
by  it.  There  were  more  ways  than  one  in  which  to  catch 
a  weasel,  he  recollected,  and  determined  not  to  relax  his 
precautions  in  the  smallest  iota  when  next  the  Yard's  call 
for  his  services  should  come. 

That  it  would  come  scon  he  felt  convinced  as  the  days 
advanced  that  rounded  out  the  end  of  his  second  week  of 
freedom  from  it;  and  w^hat  fonn  it  would  take  when  it  did 
come  was  a  matter  upon  which  he  could  almost  have  staked 
his  Hfe,  so  sure  he  felt  of  it. 

For  a  time  of  great  national  excitement,  great  national 
indignation,  had  arrived,  and  the  press  had  made  him  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  circumstances  connected  therewith. 
As  why  not,  when  the  whole  country  was  up  in  arms  over 
it  and  every  newspaper  in  the  land  headlined  it  in  double 
caps  and  poured  forth  the  story  in  full  detail? 

It  had  its  genesis  in  something  which  had  happened  at 
Gosport  in  the  preceding  week,  and  happened  in  this  start- 
ling manner : 

In  the  waterway  between  Barrow  Island  and  the  extreme 
end  of  the  Royal  Clarence  Victualhng  Yard  there  had  been 
found  floating  the  body  of  a  man  of  about  five-and-thirty 
years  of  age,  fully  and  fashionably  clothed  and  having  all 
those  outward  signs  which  betoken  a  person  of  some  stand- 
ing. 

It  was  e\'ident  at  once  that  death  must  have  been  the 
result  of  accident,  and  that  the  victim  had  been  unable  to 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  149 

swim,  for  the  hands  were  encased  in  Idd  gloves,  the  coat  was 
tightly  buttoned,  and  a  pair  of  field-glasses  in  a  leather  case 
still  hung  from  the  long  shoulder-strap  which  supported 
the  weight  of  them.  The  victim's  inability  to  swim  was 
estabhshed  by  the  fact  that  he  had  made  no  effort  to  rid 
himself  of  these  hampering  conditions,  and  was  clinging 
tightly  to  a  foot-long  bit  of  driftwood,  which  he  must  have 
clutched  at  as  it  floated  by. 

It  was  surmised,  therefore,  that  the  man  must  have  fallen 
into  the  water  in  the  dark  —  either  from  the  foreshore  or 
from  some  vessel  or  small  boat  in  which  he  was  journeying 
at  the  time  —  and  had  been  carried  away  by  the  swift  cur- 
rent and  drowned  without  being  missed,  the  condition  of 
the  body  clearly  establishing  the  fact  that  it  had  been  in 
the  water  for  something  more  than  a  fortnight  when  found. 
Later  it  was  identified  by  one  of  the  deck  hands  of  the  pleas- 
ure steamer  which  cruises  round  the  Isle  of  Wight  daily  as 
being  that  of  a  man  he  had  seen  aboard  that  vessel  on  one 
of  its  night  trips  to  Alum  Bay  between  two  and  three  weeks 
previously;  and  still  later  it  was  discovered  that  a  boatman 
in  that  locality  had  been  hired  to  take  a  gentleman  from  the 
Needles  to  a  yacht  *' lying  out  to  sea"  that  selfsame  night, 
and  that  the  gentleman  in  question  never  turned  up. 

What  followed  gave  these  two  circumstances  an  appalling 
significance.  For  when  the  body  was  carried  to  the  mortu- 
ary, and  its  clothing  searched  for  possible  clues  to  identi- 
fication, there  was  found  upon  it  a  sealed  packet  addressed 
simply  ^'A.  Steinmiiller,  Konigstrasse  8,"  and  inside  that 
packet  there  were  two  unmounted  photographs  of  the 
exterior  of  Blockhouse  Fort  and  the  Southsea  Fort,  a  more 
or  less  accurate  ground-plan  drawing  of  the  interior  of  the 
Portsmouth  Dockyard,  together  with  certain  secret  informa- 
tion relative  to  supplies  and  to  the  proposed  armament  of 
cruisers  now  undergoing  alteration  and  reequipment. 

The  wrath  and  amazement  engendered  by  that  discovery, 


150      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

however,  were  as  nothing  compared  with  the  one  w^hich  so 
swiftly  followed. 

Brought  up  before  the  Admiral  Superintendent  and  the 
Board,  John  Beachman,  the  dock  master  —  who  alone  knew 
these  things  outside  of  the  Admiralty  —  was  obHged  to 
admit  that  one  person,  and  one  only  —  his  eldest  son  — 
was  in  a  position  to  obtain  admission  to  the  safe  in  which  he 
kept  his  private  papers,  and  that  son  w^as  engaged  to  a 
young  lady  whom  he  had  met  during  a  hoHday  tour  on  the 
Continent. 

^'EngKsh  or  foreign?"  he  was  asked;  to  which  he  repKed 
that  she  v/as  EngHsh  —  or,  at  least,  Enghsh  by  birth,  al- 
though her  late  father  was  a  German.  He  had  become 
naturalized  before  his  death,  and  was  wholly  in  sympathy 
mth  the  country  of  his  adoption.  He  did  not  die  in  it, 
however.  Circumstances  had  caused  him  to  visit  the 
United  States,  and  he  had  been  killed  in  one  of  the  horrible 
railway  disasters  for  w^hich  that  country  was  famous.  It 
was  because  the  daughter  was  thus  left  orphaned,  and  was 
so  soon  to  become  the  wife  of  their  son,  that  he  and  Mrs. 
Beaclmian  had  taken  her  into  their  home  in  advance  of  the 
marriage.  They  did  not  think  it  right  that  she  should  be 
left  to  live  alone  and  unprotected,  considering  what  she 
was  so  soon  to  become  to  them;  so  they  had  taken  her  into 
the  home,  and  their  son  had  arranged  to  sleep  at  an  hotel 
in  Portsmouth  pending  the  date  of  the  wedding.  The 
lady's  name  was  Hilmann  —  Miss  Greta  Hilmann.  She 
was  of  extremely  good  family,  and  quite  well-to-do  in  her 
own  right.  She  had  never  been  to  Germany  since  the  date 
of  the  engagement.  She  had  relatives  there,  however;  one 
in  particular  —  a  Baron  von  Ziegelmundt  and  his  son  Axel. 
The  son  had  visited  England  twice  —  once  many  months 
back,  and  the  last  time  some  seven  or  eight  weeks  ago. 
They  hked  him  very  much  —  the  bridegroom-elect  espe- 
cially so.    They  had  become  very  great  friends  indeed.    No 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  151 

Axel  von  Ziegelmundt  was  no  longer  in  England.  He  had 
left  it  something  like  a  month  ago.  He  was  on  a  pleasure 
trip  round  the  world,  he  had  heard,  but  had  no  idea  where 
he  had  gone  when  he  left  Portsmouth. 

Two  hours  after  this  statement  was  made,  if  the  populace 
could  have  got  hold  of  young  Harry  Beachman  it  would 
have  torn  him  to  pieces;  for  it  was  then  discovered  that 
the  drowned  man  was  no  less  a  person  than  tliis  Herr  Axel 
von  Ziegelmundt,  and  that  they  had  not  only  spent  the 
greater  part  of  that  particular  day  shut  up  in  the  former's 
room  in  the  Portsmouth  hotel,  but  had  been  together  up  to 
the  very  moment  when  the  excursion  steamer  had  started 
on  its  moonlight  trip  to  Alum  Bay  and  to  the  bringing  about 
of  that  providential  accident  which  had  prevented  the  State 
affairs  of  an  imsuspecting  nation  from  being  betrayed  to  a 
secret  foe. 

What  followed  was,  in  the  face  of  this,  of  course,  but  nat- 
ural.  John  Beachman  was  suspended  immediately,  and 
his  son's  arrest  ordered.  It  served  no  purpose  that  he 
denied  indignantly  the  charge  of  being  a  traitor,  and  swore 
by  every  sacred  thing  that  the  hours  spent  in  his  room  at  the 
hotel  were  passed  in  endeavouring  to  master  the  intricacies 
of  the  difficult  German  card  game,  Skaat,  and  that  never 
in  all  their  acquaintance  had  one  word  touching  upon  the 
country  or  the  country's  affairs  passed  between  Axel  von 
Ziegelmundt  and  himself,  so  help  him  God !  It  was  in  vain, 
also,  that  Greta  Hilmann  —  shouting  hysterically  her  be- 
lief in  him  and  begging  wildly  that  if  he  must  be  put  into 
prison  she  might  be  taken  with  him  "and  murdered  when 
you  murder  him  if  he  is  to  be  court-martialled  and  shot,  you 
wretched  blunderers! "  —  it  was  in  vain  that  Greta  Hilmann 
clung  to  him  and  fought  with  all  her  woman's  strength  to 
keep  the  guard  from  laying  hands  upon  him  or  to  tear  her 
from  his  side;  the  outraged  country  demanded  him,  and 
took  him  in  spite  of  all.     Nor  did  it  turn  the  current  of 


152  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

sympathy  in  his  direction  that,  crazed  when  they  tore  him 
from  her,  this  frantic  creature  had  gone  from  swoon  to 
swoon  until  her  senses  left  her  entirely,  and  the  end  was  — 
tragedy. 

The  full  details  were  never  forthcoming.  The  bare  facts 
were  that  she  was  carried  back  to  Beachman's  house  in  a 
state  of  hysteria  bordering  close  upon  insanity,  and  that 
when,  under  orders  from  the  Admiralty,  that  house  and  all 
its  contents  were  impounded  pending  the  fullest  inquiry 
into  the  dock  master's  books  and  accounts,  the  Admiral 
Superintendent  and  the  appointed  auditor  entered  into 
possession,  her  condition  was  found  to  be  so  serious  that  it 
was  decided  not  to  insist  upon  her  removal  for  a  day  or  two 
at  least.  A  nurse  was  procured  from  the  naval  hospital 
and  put  in  charge  of  her;  but  at  some  period  during  the 
fourth  night  of  that  nurse's  attendance  —  and  when  she, 
worn  out  by  constant  watching,  slept  in  her  chair  —  the 
half-dehrious  patient  arose,  and,  leaving  a  note  to  say  that 
life  had  lost  all  its  brightness  for  her,  and  if  they  cared 
to  find  her  they  might  look  for  her  in  the  sea,  vanished  en- 
tirely. She  could  scarcely  have  hit  upon  a  worse  thing  for 
the  evil  repute  of  her  lover's  name  or  her  owti.  For  those 
who  had  never  known  her  personally  were  quick  to  assert 
that  this  was  proof  enough  of  how  the  thing  had  been  man- 
aged. In  short,  that  she,  too,  was  a  spy,  and  that  she  had 
adopted  this  subterfuge  to  get  back  to  Germany  before  the 
scent  grew  hot  and  the  law  could  lay  a  hand  upon  her. 
Those  who  had  known  her  took  a  more  merciful  view  so  far 
as  she  was  concerned,  but  one  which  made  things  look  all 
the  blacker  for  her  lover.  What  could  her  desperation  and 
her  utter  giving  up  all  hope  even  before  the  man  was  put  on 
trial  mean  if  it  was  not  that  she  knew  he  was  guilty,  knew 
he  would  never  get  off  with  his  life,  and  that  her  suicide  was 
a  tacit  admission  of  this  ? 


CHAPTER  XVI 

MEANWHILE  public  indignation  ran  high,  the  investi- 
gation of  the  dock  master's  books,  papers,  and  accounts 
proceeded  in  camera,  and  all  England  waited  breathlessly 
for  the  result  to  be  made  known. 

Thus  matters  stood  when  on  Thursday  night  at  half-past 
seven  o'clock  —  exactly  one  week  after  the  discovery  of 
that  packet  on  the  body  of  the  drowned  man  —  an  amazing 
thing  happened,  a  thing  which  smacked  almost  of  magic, 
and  put  to  shame  all  that  had  gone  before  in  the  way  of 
mystery,  surprise,  and  terror.  *" 

The  wildest  storm  that  had  been  known  on  that  coast  for 
years  had  been  raging  steadily  ever  since  daybreak  and  was 
raging  still.  A  howling  wind,  coming  straight  over  the 
Channel  from  France,  was  piling  ink-black  seas  against  an 
ink-black  shore,  and  all  the  devils  of  the  pit  seemed  to  be 
loose  in  the  noisy  darkness. 

In  the  suspended  dock  master's  house  the  Admiral  Super- 
intendent, Sir  Charles  Fordeck,  together  with  his  private 
secretary,  Mr.  Paul  Grimsdick,  and  the  auditor,  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Maclnery,  who  had  been  continuing  their  investi- 
gations since  morning,  were  now  coming  within  sight  of  the 
work's  end  —  the  only  occupants  of  a  locked  and  guarded 
room,  outside  of  which  a  sentry  was  posted,  while  round 
about  the  house  in  the  stormy  outer  darkness  other  guards 
patrolled  ceaselessly.  Over  the  books  Sir  Charles  and  the 
auditor  bent  at  one  end  of  the  room;  at  the  other  Paul 
Grimsdick  tapped  on  his  typewriter  and  made  transcripts 
from  the  shorthand  notes  beside  him.    It  was  at  this  in- 

153 


154  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

stant,  just  when  the  clock  on  the  mantel  was  beginning  to 
chime  the  half-hour  after  seven,  that  such  a  crash  of  thun- 
der ripped  out  of  the  heavens  that  the  very  earth  seemed  to 
tremble  with  the  force  of  it,  and  the  three  men  fairly  jumped 
in  their  seats. 

*'Gad!  that  was  a  stunner,  if  you  like!"  exclaimed  Sir 
Charles  with  a  laugh.  *' Something  went  down  that  time, 
or  I  miss  my  guess." 

Something  had  "gone  down"  —  gone  down  in  black  and 
white,  too,  at  that  —  and  before  another  half-hour  had 
passed  the  mystery  and  the  appalHng  nature  of  that  some- 
thing was  made  known  to  him  and  to  his  two  companions. 

The  operator  at  the  central  telegraph  office,  sitting  beside 
a  silent  instrument  with  the  key  open  deciphering  a  mes- 
sage which  a  moment  before  had  come  through,  jumped  as 
they  had  jumped  when  that  crash  of  thunder  sounded;  then 
without  hint  or  warning  up  spoke  the  open  instrument,  be- 
ginning a  sentence  in  the  middle  and  chopping  it  off  before 
it  was  half  done. 

"Hullo!  that  deflected  something  —  crossed  communica- 
tion or  I'm  a  Dutchman!"  he  said,  and  bent  over  to  "take 
it."  In  another  moment  he  got  more  of  a  shock  than 
twenty  thunderbolts  could  possibly  have  given  him.  For, 
translated,  that  interrupted  communication  ran  thus : 

".     .     and  eight-inch  guns.     The  floating  conning  tower's 
lateral  plates  of     ...     " 

And  there,  as  abruptly  as  it  began,  the  communication 
left  off. 

"Good  God!  There's  another  damned  German  spy  at 
it!"  exclaimed  the  operator,  jumping  from  his  seat  and 
grabbing  for  his  hat.  "Gawdermity,  Hawkins,  take  this 
instrument  and  watch  for  more.  Somebody's  telegraphin' 
naval  secrets  from  the  dockyard,  and  the  storm's  '  tapped'  a 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      155 

wire  somewhere  and  sent  the  message  to  us!"  Then  he 
flung  himself  out  into  the  storm  and  darkness  and  ran  and 
ran  and  ran. 

But  the  mystery  of  the  thing  was  all  the  greater  when  the 
facts  came  to  be  examined.  For  those  two  parts  of  sen- 
tences were  found  to  be  verbatim  copies  of  the  shorthand 
notes  which  Mr.  Paul  Grimsdick  had  just  taken  down. 
These  notes  had  never  left  the  sight  of  the  three  men  in  the 
guarded  room  of  that  guarded  house  for  so  much  as  one 
second  since  they  were  made.  No  one  but  they  had  passed 
either  in  or  out  of  that  room  during  the  whole  seven  days 
of  the  inquiry.  There  was  no  telegraph  instrument  in  the 
room  —  in  the  house  —  or  within  any  possible  reach  from 
it.  Yet  somebody  in  that  building  —  somebody  who  could 
only  know  the  things  by  standing  in  that  room  and  copying 
them,  for  never  once  had  they  been  spoken  of  by  word  of 
mouth  —  some  invisible,  impalpable,  superhuman  body  was 
wiring  State  secrets  from  it.     How?    And  to  whom? 

Naturally,  this  state  of  affairs  set  the  whole  country  by 
the  ears  and  evoked  a  panicky  condition  which  was  not 
lessened  by  the  Press'  frothing  and  screaming. 

Thus  matters  stood  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  the 
twen'-y-second  of  May,  and  thus  they  still  stood  on  the 
morning  of  the  twenty-third,  when  the  telephone  rang  and 
Dollops  rushed  into  Cleek's  bedroom  crying  excitedly  and 
disjointedly: 

''Mr.  Narkom,  sir.  Ringing  up  from  his  own  house. 
W^ants  yc  i  in  a  hurry.  National  case,  he  says,  and  not 
tu  minut'  to  lose." 

Clee^  was  out  of  bed  and  at  the  instrument  in  a  winking; 
but  he  nad  no  more  than  spoken  the  customary '* Hello!" 
into  ti-e  receiver,  when  the  superintendent's  voice  cut  in 
cyclon  "^^lly  and  swept  everything  before  it  in  a  small  tor- 
nado 01   xcited  words. 

'^C^li  of  the  Country,  dear  chap!"  he  cried.    *'That 


156  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

infernal  dockyard  business  at  Portsmouth.  Sir  Charles 
Fordeck  just  sent  through  a  call  for  you.  Rush  like  hell  I 
Don't  stop  for  anything!  Train  it  over  to  Guildford  if  yoa 
have  to  charter  a  special.  Meet  you  there  —  in  the  Ports- 
mouth Road  —  with  the  Kmousine  —  at  seven-thirty. 
We'll  show  'em  —  by  God,  yes!     Good-bye!" 

Then  "click!"  went  the  instrument  as  the  communica- 
tion was  cut  off,  and  away  went  Cleek,  Hke  a  gunshot,  on  a 
wild  rush  for  his  clothes. 

The  sun  was  but  just  thrusting  a  crimson  arc  into  view  in 
the  transfigured  east  when  he  left  the  house  —  on  a  hard 
run;  for  part  at  least  of  the  way  must  be  covered  afoot,  and 
the  journey  was  long  —  but  by  four  o'clock  it  was  almost 
as  bright  as  midday,  and  the  possibihty  of  securing  a  con- 
veyance for  the  rest  of  the  distance  was  considerably  in- 
creased by  that  fact;  by  five,  he  had  secured  one,  and  by 
seven  he  was  in  the  Portsmouth  Road  at  Guildford  munch- 
ing the  sandwiches  Dollops  had  thoughtfully  shpped  into 
his  pocket  and  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  coming  of 
the  red  limousine. 

It  swung  up  over  the  rise  of  the  road  and  came  panting 
toward  him  at  a  nerv^e- racking  pace  while  it  still  lacked  ten 
minutes  of  being  the  appointed  half -hour,  and  so  wild  was 
the  speed  at  which  Lennard,  in  his  furious  interest,  was 
making  it  travel  that  Cleek  could  think  of  nothing  to  which 
to  liken  it  but  a  red  streak  whizzing  across  a  background  of 
leaf-green  with  splatters  of  mud  flying  about  it  and  an  ovl- 
eyed  demon  for  pilot. 

It  pulled  up  with  a  jerk  when  it  came  abreast  o.  him,  but 
so  great  was  Lennard's  excitement,  so  deep  seated  his  pa- 
triotic interest  in  the  business  he  had  in  hand,  he  setmed  to 
begrudge  even  the  half -minute  it  took  to  get  hirs  mar^' 
aboard;  and  before  you  could  have  turned  aroun^^  twice 
the  car  was  rocketing  on  again  at  a  demon's  pace. 

*'  Gad!  but  he's  full  of  it,  the  patriotic  beggar  \ "  sa-'^>-  Cleek 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  157 

with  a  laugh,  as  he  found  himself  deposited  in  Narkom's 
lap  instead  of  on  the  seat  beside  him,  so  sudden  was  the 
car's  start  the  instant  he  was  inside.  ''It  might  give  our 
German  friends  pause,  don't  you  think,  Mr.  Narkom,  if 
they  could  get  an  insight  into  the  spirit  of  the  race  as  a 
fighting  unit?" 

''It'll  give  'em  hell  if  they  run  up  against  it  —  make  no 
blooming  error  about  that!"  rapped  out  the  superintendent 
too  "hot  in  the  choler  "  to  be  choice  of  words.  "It's  a  nasty 
little  handful  to  fall  foul  of  when  its  temper  is  up;  and  this 
damned  spy  business,  done  behind  a  mask  of  friendship  in 

times  of  peace Look  here,  Cleek!     If  it  comes  to  the 

point,  just  give  me  a  gun  with  the  rest.  I'll  show  the 
Government  that  I  can  lick  something  beside  insurance 
stamps  for  my  country's  good  —  by  James,  yes!" 

"Just  so,"  said  Cleek,  with  one  of  his  curious,  crooked 
smiles.  He  was  used  to  these  Httle  patriotic  outbursts  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Narkom  whenever  the  German  bogey  was 
dragged  out  by  the  Press.  "  But  let  us  hope  it  will  not  come 
to  that.  It  would  be  an  embarrassment  of  riches  so  far  as 
our  friends  the  editors  are  concerned,  don't  you  think,  to 
have  two  wars  on  their  hands  at  the  same  time?  And  I 
see  by  papers  that  the  long- threatened  Mauravanian  revolu- 
tion has  broken  out  at  last.  In  short,  that  our  good  friend 
Count  Irma  has  made  his  escape  from  Sulberga,  put  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  Insurgents,  and  is  organizing  a  march 
on  the  capital " 

Here  he  pulled  himself  up  abruptly,  as  if  remembering 
something,  and,  before  Mr.  Narkom  could  put  in  a  word, 
launched  into  the  subject  of  the  case  in  hand  and  set  him 
Ihinking  and  talking  of  other  things. 


CHAPTER  XVn 

IT  HAD  gone  nine  by  all  the  reliable  clocks  in  town  when 
the  wild  race  to  the  coast  came  to  an  end,  and  after 
darting  swallowlike  through  the  wind-swept  streets  of 
Portsmouth,  the  limousine,  mud  splashed  and  disreputable, 
rushed  up  to  the  guarded  entrance  of  the  suspended  dock 
master's  house  at  Portsea;  and  precisely  one  and  a  quarter 
minutes  thereafter  Cleek  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  three 
men  most  deeply  concerned  in  the  clearing  up  of  this 
mystifying  affair. 

He  found  Sir  Charles  Fordeck,  a  dignified  and  courtly 
gentleman  of  poHshed  manners  and  measured  speech,  al- 
though now,  quite  naturally,  labouring  under  a  distress  of 
mind  which  visibly  disturlDed  him.  He  found  Mr.  Paul 
Grimsdick,  his  secretary,  a  frank-faced,  straight-looking 
young  EngHshman  of  thirty;  Mr.  Alexander  Maclnery,  a 
stoHd,  unemotional  Scotsman  of  middle  age,  with  a  huge 
knotted  forehead,  eyebrows  Hke  young  moustaches,  and  a 
face  like  a  face  of  granite;  and  he  found,  too,  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  each  of  these  was,  in  his  separate  way,  a  man  to 
inspire  confidence  and  respect. 

"I  can  hardly  express  to  you,  Mr.  Cleek,  how  glad  I  am 
to  meet  you  and  to  have  you  make  this  quick  response  to 
my  appeal,"  said  the  Admiral  Superintendent,  offering  him 
a  welcoming  hand.  "I  feel  that  if  any  man  is  hkely  to  get 
to  the  bottom  of  this  mysterious  business  you  are  that  man. 
And  that  you  should  get  to  the  bottom  of  it  —  quickly,  at 
whatever  cost,  by  whatever  means  —  is  a  thing  to  be  de- 
sired not  only  in  the  nation's  interest,  but  for  the  honour  of 
myself  and  my  two  colleagues." 

158 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  15^ 

*'I  hardly  think  that  your  honour  will  be  called  into  ques- 
tion, Sir  Charles/'  replied  Cleek,  liking  him  the  better  for 
the  manliness  which  prompted  him  in  that  hour  of  doubt 
and  difficulty  to  lay  aside  all  questions  of  position,  and  by 
the  word  ^'colleague"  Kft  his  secretary  to  the  level  of  him- 
self, so  that  they  might  be  judged  upon  a  common  plane 
as  men,  and  men  alone.  ''It  would  be  a  madman  indeed 
who  would  hint  at  anything  approaching  treason  with 
regard  to  Sir  Charles  Fordeck." 

"No  madder  than  he  who  would  hint  it  of  either  of  these," 
said  Sir  Charles,  laying  a  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  the 
auditor  and  the  secretary,  and  placing  himself  between 
them.  "I  demand  to  be  judged  by  the  same  rule,  set  upon 
the  same  plane  with  them.  We  three  alone  were  in  this 
house  when  that  abominable  thing  happened;  we  three 
alone  had  access  to  the  records  from  which  that  information 
was  wired.  It  never,  for  so  much  as  the  fraction  of  one 
second,  passed  out  of  our  keeping  or  our  sight;  if  it  was  wired 
at  all  it  must  have  been  wired  from  this  house,  from  that 
room,  and  in  that  case,  one  or  other  of  us  must  positively 
have  been  the  person  to  do  so.  Well,  /  did  not;  Maclnery 
did  not;  Grimsdick  did  not.  And  yet,  as  you  know,  the 
'wiring'  was  done  —  we  should  never  stand  a  chance  of 
knowing  to  whom,  nor  by  whom,  but  for  the  accident  which 
deflected  the  course  of  the  message." 

"H'm!  Yes!  I  don't  think,"  commented  Cleek  reflec- 
tively. "It  won't  wash,  that  theory;  no,  decidedly  it 
won't  wash.  Pardon?  Oh,  no.  Sir  Charles,  I  am  not 
casting  any  doubt  upon  the  telegraph  operator's  statement 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  received  the  message;  it  is  his 
judgment  that  is  at  fault,  not  his  veracity.  Of  course, 
there  have  been  cases  —  very  rare  ones,  happily  —  of  one 
wire  automatically  tapping  another  through,  as  he  sug- 
gested, there  being  a  break  and  an  overlapping  of  the  broken 
wire  on  to  the  sound  one;  but  in  the  present  instance  there 


IGO  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

isn't  a  ghost  of  a  chance  of  such  a  thing  having  happened. 
In  other  words,  Sir  Charles,  it  is  as  unsound  in  theory  as 
it  is  false  in  fact.  Mr.  Narkom  has  been  telHng  me  on  the 
way  here  that  the  operator  accounted  for  the  sudden  start- 
ing of  the  message  to  the  falling  of  a  storm-snapped  wire 
upon  an  uninjured  one,  and  for  its  abrupt  cessation  to  the 
slipping  off  of  that  broken  wire  under  the  influence  of  the 
strong  gale.  Now,  as  we  entered  the  town  and  proceeded 
through  it,  I  particularly  noted  the  fact  that  no  broken 
wires  were  anywhere  \dsible,  nor  was  there  sight  or  sign  of 
men  being  engaged  in  repairing  one." 

''Ah,  yes,"  agreed  Sir  Charles,  a  trifle  dubiously,  "that 
may  be  quite  so,  Mr.  Cleek;  but,  if  you  will  pardon  my  sug- 
gesting it,  is  there  not  the  possibihty  of  a  flaw  in  your 
reasoning  upon  that  point?  The  wire  in  question  may  not 
have  been  located  in  that  particular  district  through  w^hich 
you  were  travelling. " 

"I  don't  think  there  is  any  chance  of  my  ha\'ing  made  an 
error  of  that  sort.  Sir  Charles,"  repKed  Cleek,  smihng. 
*'Had  I  been  Hkely  to  do  so,  our  friend  the  telegraph  opera- 
tor would  have  prevented  it.  He  recognized  at  once  that 
the  communication  was  coming  over  the  wire  from  the 
dockyard,  I  am  told;  and  I  have  observed  that  every  one 
of  the  dockyard  wires  is  intact.  I  fancy  when  we  come 
down  to  the  bottom  of  it  we  shall  discover  that  it  was  not 
the  dockyard  wire  which  'tapped'  a  message  from  some 
other,  but  that  the  dockyard  wire  was  being  'tapped'  it- 
self, and  that  the  storm,  causing  a  momentary  interruption 
in  the  carrying  on  of  that  '  tapping'  process,  allowed  a  por- 
tion of  the  message  to  slip  past  and  continue  to  the  wire's 
end  —  the  telegraph  ofiice." 

"Good  lud!     Then  in  that  case " 

"In  that  case,  Mr.  Narkom,  there  can  be  no  shadow  of  a 
doubt  that  that  message  was  sent  by  somebody  in  this 
house  —  and  over  the  dockyard's  own  private  wire." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  161 

''But  how,  Mr.  Cleek  —  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  won- 
derful, how?" 

"Ah,  that  is  the  point.  Sir  Charles.  I  think  we  need  not 
go  into  the  matter  of  who  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole 
affair,  but  confine  ourselves  to  the  business  of  discovering 
how  the  thing  was  done,  and  how  much  information  has 
already  gone  out  to  the  enemy.  I  fancy  we  may  set  our 
minds  at  rest  upon  one  point,  however,  namely,  the  iden- 
tity of  the  person  whose  hand  suppHed  the  drawing  found 
upon  the  body  of  the  drowned  man.  That  hand  was  a 
woman's;  that  woman,  I  feel  safe  in  saying,  was  Sophie 
Borovonski,  professionally  known  to  the  people  of  the 
underworld  as  'La  Tarantula.'  " 

''I  never  heard  of  her,  Mr.  Cleek.    Who  is  she?'' 

*' Probably  the  most  beautiful,  unscrupulous,  reckless, 
dare-devil  spy  in  all  Europe,  Sir  Charles.  She  is  a  Russian 
by  birth,  but  owns  allegiance  to  no  country  and  to  no 
crown.  Together  with  her  depraved  brother  Boris,  and  her 
equally  desperate  paramour,  Nicolo  Ferrand,  she  forms  one 
of  the  trio  of  paid  bravos  who  for  years  have  been  at  the 
beck  and  call  of  any  nation  despicable  enough  to  employ 
them;  always  ready  for  any  piece  of  treachery  or  dirty  work, 
so  long  as  their  price  is  paid  —  as  cunning  as  serpents,  as 
slippery  as  eels,  as  clever  as  the  devil  himself,  and  as  patient. 
We  shall  not  go  far  astray,  gentlemen,  if  we  assert  that  the 
lady's  latest  disguise  was  that  of  Miss  Greta  Hilmann." 

''Good  God!     Young  Beachman's  fiancee?" 

"Exactly,  Sir  Charles.  I  should  not  be  able  to  identify 
her  from  a  photograph  were  one  obtainable,  which  I  doubt 
—  she  is  far  too  clever  for  that  sort  of  thing  —  but  the  evi- 
dence is  conclusive  enough  to  satisfy  me,  at  least,  of  the 
lady's  identity." 

"But  how  — how?" 

"Mr.  Narkom  will  tell  you,  Sir  Charles,  that  from  our 
time  of  starting  this  morning  to  our  arrival  here  we  made 


162      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

but  one  stop.  That  stop  was  at  the  Portsmouth  mortuary 
before  we  appeared  at  this  house.  I  wished  to  see  the  body 
of  the  man  who  was  drowned.  I  have  no  hesitation,  Sir 
Charles,  in  declaring  that  that  man's  name  is  not,  and  never 
was,  Axel  von  Ziegelmundt.  The  body  is  that  of  Nicolo 
Ferrand,  'La  Tarantula's'  clever  lover.  The  inference  is 
obvious.  'Miss  Greta  Hiimann's'  anguish  and  despair 
were  real  enough,  beheve  me  (that  is  why  it  deceived  every- 
body so  completely).  It  is  not,  however,  over  the  frightful 
position  of  young  Beachman  that  she  sorrowed,  but  over 
the  death  of  Ferrand.  Had  he  lived,  I  beheve  she  has 
daring  enough  to  have  remained  here  and  played  her  part 
to  the  end,  but  she  either  lost  her  nerve  and  her  mental 
balance  —  which,  by  the  way,  is  not  in  the  least  Hke  her 
imder  any  circumstances  whatsoever  —  or  somx  other  dis- 
aster of  which  we  know  nothing  overtook  her  and  inter- 
fered with  her  carrying  on  the  work  in  conjunction  ^^ith  her 
brother." 

''Her  brother?" 

"Yes.  He  would  be  sure  to  be  about.  They  all  three 
worked  in  concert.  Gad!  if  I'd  only  been  here  before  the 
vixen  slipped  the  leash  —  if  I  only  had !  Let  us  have  the 
elder  Mr.  Beachman  in,  if  you  please.  Sir  Charles;  there's  a 
word  or  so  I  want  to  have  with  him.  You've  had  him  sum- 
moned, of  course!" 

*'Yes,  he  and  the  telegraph  operator  as  well;  I  thought 
you  might  wish  to  question  both,"  replied  he.  "Grims- 
dick,  go  —  or,  no!  I'll  go  myself.  Beachmian  ought  to 
know  of  this  appalHng  thing;  and  it  is  best  that  it  should  be 
broken  by  a  friend." 

Speaking,  he  left  the  room,  coming  back  a  few  minutes 
later  in  company  with  the  telegraph  operator  and  the  now 
almost  hysterical  dock  master.  He  waited  not  one  second 
for  introduction  or  permission  or  anything  else,  that  excited 
father,  but  rushed  at  Cleek  and  caught  him  by  the  hand. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  16S 

"It's  my  boy  and  you're  clearing  him  —  God  bless  you!" 
he  exclaimed,  catching  Cleek's  hand  and  wringing  it  with 
all  his  strength.  ''It  isn't  in  him  to  sell  his  country;  I'd 
have  killed  him  with  my  own  hand  years  ago,  if  I  thought  it 
was.  But  it  wasn't  —  it  never  was!  My  boy!  my  boy! 
my  splendid,  loyal  boy!" 

''That's  right,  old  chap,  have  it  out.  Here  on  my  shoul- 
der, if  you  want  to,  daddy,  and  don't  be  ashamed  of  it!" 
said  Cleek,  and  reached  round  his  arm  over  the  man's, 
shoulder  and  clapped  him  on  the  back.  "Let  her  go,  and 
don't  apologize  because  it's  womanish.  A  man  without  a 
strain  of  the  woman  in  him  somewhere  isn't  worth  the 
powder  to  blow  him  to  perdition.  We'll  have  him  cleared, 
daddy  —  gad,  yes!  And  look  here!  When  he  is  cleared 
you  take  him  by  the  ear  and  tell  him  to  do  his  sweetheart- 
ing  in  England,  the  young  jackass,  and  to  let  foreign  beau- 
ties alone;  they're  not  picking  up  with  young  Englishmen 
of  his  position  for  nothing,  especially  if  they  are  reputed  to 
have  money  of  their  own  and  to  be  connected  with  titled 
families.  If  you  can't  make  him  realize  that  by  gentle 
means,  take  him  into  the  garden  and  bang  it  into  him  — 
hard." 

"Thank  you,  sir;  thank  you!  I  can  see  it  now,  Mr. 
Cleek.  Not  much  use  in  shouting  'Rule  Britannia'  if 
you're  going  to  ship  on  a  foreign  craft,  is  there,  sir?  But 
anybody  would  have  been  taken  in  with  her  —  she  seemed 
such  a  sweet,  gentle  little  thing  and  had  such  winning  ways. 
And  when  she  lost  her  father,  the  wife  and  I  simply  couldn't 
help  taking  her  to  our  hearts." 

"Quite  so.     Ever  see  that  'father,'  Mr.  Beachman? " 

"Yes,  sir,  once;  the  day  before  he  sailed  —  or  was  sup- 
posed to  have  sailed  —  for  the  States." 

"Short,  thick-set  man  was  he?  Carried  one  shoulder  a 
little  lower  than  the  other,  and  had  lost  the  top  of  a  finger 
on  the  left  hand?" 


164      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Yes,  sir;  the  little  j6nger.     That's  him  to  a  T." 

"Boris  Borovonski!"  declared  Cleek,  glancing  over  at 
Sir  Charles.  ''No  going  to  the  States  for  that  gentleman 
with  a  'deal'  like  this  on  hand.  He'd  be  close  by  and  in 
constant  touch  with  her.  Did  she  have  any  friends  in  the 
town,  Mr.  Beachman?" 

"No,  not  one.  She  appeared  to  be  of  a  very  retiring 
disposition,  and  made  no  acquaintances  whatsoever.  The 
only  outside  person  I  ever  knew  her  to  take  any  interest  in 
was  a  crippled  girl  who  lived  with  her  bedridden  mother  and 
took  in  needlework.  Greta  heard  of  the  case,  and  went  to 
visit  them.  Afterward  she  used  to  carry  work  to  them  fre- 
quently, and  sometimes  fruit  and  flowers." 

"Ever  see  that  bedridden  woman  or  that  cripple  girl?" 

"No,  sir,  never.  Harry  and  I  would  be  busy  here  most 
of  the  days,  so  she  always  went  alone." 

"Did  she  ever  ask  Mrs.  Beachman  to  accompany  her?  " 

"Not  that  I  ever  heard  of,  sir.  But  it  would  have  been  to 
no  purpose  if  she  had.  The  wife  is  a  very  deHcate  wornan; 
she  rarely  ever  goes  anywhere." 

"Hum-m-m!  I  see!  So,  then,  you  really  do  not  know  if 
there  actually  was  a  woman  or  a  girl  at  all?  Any  idea 
where  the  persons  were  supposed  to  live?" 

"Yes.  They  hired  a  room  on  the  top  floor  of  a  house 
adjoining  the  Ocean  Billow  Hotel,  sir.  At  least,  Reggie  — 
that's  my  youngest  son,  Mr.  Cleek  —  saw  Greta  go  in  there 
and  look  do"v\TL  from  one  of  the  top  floor  windows  one  day 
when  he  was  on  his  way  home  from  school.  He  spoke  to 
her  about  it  at  the  dinner  table  that  night,  and  she  said  that 
that  was  where  her  'pensioners  hved.'" 

"Pretty  good  neighbourhood  that,  by  Jove!  for  people 
who  were  'pensioners'  to  be  hving  in,"  commented  Cleek. 
*'The  Ocean  Billow  Hotel  is  a  modern  estabHshment  — 
lifts,  electric  hghts,  liveried  attendants,  and  caters  to  people 
of  substance  and  standing." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD     165 

"Yes/'  admitted  Beachman.  *'When  I  was  suspended, 
sir,  during  the  examination  and  this  house  taken  over  by 
Sir  Charles,  I  took  Mrs.  Beachman  and  Reggie  there,  and 
we  have  remained  at  the  place,  nominally  under  guard, 
ever  since.  You  see,  being  convenient  and  in  a  straight: 
line,  so  to  speak,  it  offered  extra  advantages  in  case  of  my 
being  summoned  here  at  a  moment's  notice." 

"H'ml  Yes!  I  see!"  said  Cleek,  stroking  his  chin. 
*'In  a  straight  line  from  here,  eh?  House  next  door  would, 
of  course,  offer  the  same  advantages;  and  from  a  room  on 

the  top  floor  a  wire-tapping  device Yes,  just  so!     I 

think,  Sophie,  I  think  I  smell  a  very  large  mouse,  my  dear, 
and  I  shan't  be  surprised  if  we've  hit  upon  the  place  of 
reception  for  your  messages  the  very  first  shot." 

"Messages,  Mr.  Cleek?  Messages?"  interposed  Sir 
Charles.  *'  You  surely  do  not  mean  to  infer  that  the  woman 
telegraphed  messages  from  this  house?  Do  you  forget, 
then,  that  there  is  no  instrument,  no  wire,  attached  to  the 
place?" 

Cleek  puckered  up  his  brows.  For  the  moment  he  had 
forgotten  that  fact. 

"Still,  there  are  wires  passing  over  it.  Sir  Charles,"  he 
said  presently;  "and  if  a  means  of  communication  with 
those  were  established,  the  '  tapper*'  at  the  other  end  could 
receive  messages  easily.  She  is  a  devil  of  ingenuity  is 
Sophie.  I  wouldn't  put  it  beyond  her  and  her  confederates 
to  have  rigged  up  a  transmitting  instrument  of  some  sort 
which  the  woman  could  carry  on  her  person  and  attach  to 
the  wire  when  needed." 

Here  Sir  Charles  threw  in  something  which  he  felt  to  be 
in  the  nature  of  a  facer. 

"Quite  so,"  he  admitted.  "But  do  not  forget,  Mr. 
Cleek,  that  the  deflected  message  was  sent  last  night,  and 
that  the  woman  was  not  then  in  this  house." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  queer  little  one-sided  smile  cocked  up  the  corner 
of  Cleek's  mouth.  ^'  Sure  of  that,  Sir  Charles?"  he  ik~ 
quired  placidly.  "  Sure  that  she  was  not?  I  am  told,  it  is 
true,  that  she  left  the  note  saying  she  was  going  to  drown 
herself,  and  disappeared  four  nights  ago;  I  am  also  told 
that  since  the  date  of  Mr.  Beachman's  suspension  this 
place  has  been  under  constant  guard  night  and  day,  but 
I  have  not  been  told,  however,  that  any  of  the  guards 
saw  her  leave  the  place.  No,  no,  no  I  Don't  jump  to  con- 
clusions so  readily,  gentlemen.  She  will  be  out  of  it  now, 
—  out  and  never  likely  to  return;  the  news  of  that  miscar- 
ried message  would  warn  her  that  something  was  wrong, 
and  she  would  be  '  up  and  out  of  it '  like  a  darting  swallow. 
The  question  is,  how  and  when  did  she  get  out?  Let's 
have  in  the  guard  and  see." 

The  sentries  were  brought  in  one  after  the  other  and 
questioned.  At  no  time  since  they  were  first  put  on  guard, 
they  declared  —  at  no  time,  either  by  day  or  by  night  — 
had  any  hving  creature  entered  or  left  the  house  up  to  now, 
except  the  Admiral  Superintendent,  his  secretary,  the  au- 
ditor, and  the  nurse  who  had  been  summoned  to  look  after 
the  stricken  girl.  To  that  they  one  and  all  were  willing  to 
take  solemn  oath. 

There  is  an  old  French  proverb  which  says:  ''He  that 
protests  too  much  leads  to  the  truth  in  spite  of  himself." 
It  was  the  last  man  to  be  called  who  did  this. 

''No,  sir,  nobody  passed,  either  in  or  out,  I'll  take  my 
dying  oath  to  that,"  asserted  he,  his  feehngs  riled  up  by  the 

166 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  167 

thought  that  this  constant  questioning  of  his  statement 
was  a  slur  upon  his  devotion  to  his  duty.  ^' There  aren't 
nobody  going  to  hint  as  I'm  a  slacker  as  don't  know  what 
he's  a-doing  of,  or  a  blessed  mug  that  don't  obey  orders; 
no,  sir  —  no  fear!  Sir  Charles's  orders  was,  'Nobody  in 
or  out'  and  nobody  in  or  out  it  was;  my  hat!  yuss!  Why, 
sir  "  —  turning  to  the  dock  master  —  "you  must  'a'  known; 
he  must  'a'  told  you.  I  wouldn't  allow  even  young  Master 
Reggie  in  last  night  when  he  came  a-pleading  to  be  let  in 
to  get  the  school  books  he'd  left  behind." 

"When  he  what?^^  almost  roared  the  dock  master,  fairly 
jumping.  "Good  lord,  Marshall,  have  you  gone  off  your 
head?  Do  you  mean  to  claim  that  you  saw  my  boy  here  — 
last  night?" 

"Certainly,  sir.  Just  after  that  awful  clap  of  thunder 
it  was  —  say  about  eight  or  ten  minutes  after;  and  what 
with  that  and  the  darkness  and  the  way  the  wind  was  howl- 
ing, I  never  see  nor  heard  nothing  of  him  coming  till  I  got 
to  the  door,  and  there  he  was  —  in  them  Kght-coloured 
knickers  and  the  pulled-down  wideawake  hat  I'd  seen  him 
wear  dozens  of  times  —  with  his  coat  collar  turned  up  and  a 
drippin'  umbrella  over  his  head,  making  Kke  he  was  going 
up  the  steps  to  try  and  get  in.  'Who's  there? '  as  I  sings  to 
him,  though  I  needn't,  for  the  little  light  was  streaking  out 
through  the  windows  showed  me  what  he  was  wearing  and 
who  it  was  well  enough.  'It's  me  —  Master  Reggie,  Mar- 
shall,'he  says.  '  I've  come  to  get  my  school  books.  I  left 
'em  behind  in  the  hurry,  and  father  says  he's  sure  you'll  let 
me  go  in  and  get  'em.'  'Oh,  does  he?'  says  I.  'Well,  I'm 
surprised  at  him  and  at  you,  too.  Master  Reggie,  a-thinking 
I'd  go  against  orders.  Word  is  that  nobody  gets  in;  and 
nobody  does,  even  the  king  hisself,  till  them  orders  is 
changed.  So  you  just  come  away  from  that  door,  and 
trot  right  away  back  to  your  pa,'  I  says  to  him, '  and  ask  him 
from  me  what  kind  of  a  sentry  he  thinks  Bill  Marshall  is.' 


168  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Which  sets  him  a-snivelling  and  a-pleading  till  I  has  to  take 
him  by  the  shoulder,  and  fair  drag  him  away  before  I  could 
get  him  to  go  as  he'd  been  told.'^ 

'^Well  done,  Sophie!"  exclaimed  Cleek.  ^'Gadl  what  a 
creature  of  resource  the  woman  is,  and  what  an  actress  she 
would  make,  the  vixen!  No  need  to  ask  you  if  your  son 
really  did  come  over  here  last  night,  Mr^  Beachman;  your, 
surprise  and  indignation  have  answered  for  you." 

''I  should  think  it  would,  by  George!"  rapped  out  the 
dock  master.  "What  sort  of  an  insane  man  must  you  have 
thought  me,  Marshall,  to  credit  such  a  thing  as  that?  As  if 
I'd  have  been  hkely  to  let  a  dehcate  fifteen-year-old  boy 
go  out  on  an  errand  of  any  kind  in  a  beast  of  a  storm  like 
last  night's,  much  less  tell  him  that  he  was  to  ask  a  sentry, 
in  my  name,  to  disobey  his  orders.  Good  God!  gentlemen, 
it's  simply  monstrous!  Why,  look  here,  Sir  Charles;  look 
here,  Mr.  Cleek!  Even  if  I'd  been  guilty  of  such  a  thing, 
and  the  boy  was  willing  to  go  out,  he  couldn't  have  done 
it  to  save  his  Hfe.  The  poor  little  chap  met  with  an  acci- 
dent last  night  and  he's  been  in  bed  ever  since.  He  was 
going  down  the  stairs  on  his  way  to  dinner  when  that  terrific 
clap  of  thunder  came,  and  the  blessed  thing  startled  him  so 
much  that,  in  the  pitch  darkness,  he  missed  his  footing, 
fell  clear  to  the  bottom  of  the  staircase,  and  broke  his  collar 
bone." 

"Poor  little  lad!  Too  bad,  too  bad!"  sympathized  Sir 
Charles,  feehngly,  and,  possibly,  would  have  said  more  but 
that  Cleek' s  voice  broke  in  softly,  but  with  a  curiously  sharp 
note  imderlying  its  sleekness. 

"In  the  pitch  darkness,  Mr.  Beachman?"  it  inquired. 
"  The  pitch  darkness  of  a  pubhc  hotel  at  dinner  time  ?  Isn't 
that  rather  extraordinary?  " 

"It  would  be,  under  any  other  circumstances,  sir,  but 
that  infernal  clap  of  thunder  interfered  in  some  way  with 
the  electric  current,  and  every  blessed  Hght  in  the  hotel  went 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  169 

smack  out  —  whisk !  like  that !  —  and  left  the  place  as 
black  as  a  pocket.  Everybody  thought  for  the  moment 
that  the  wires  must  have  fused,  but  it  turned  out  that  there 
was  nothing  the  matter  with  them  —  only  that  the  current 
had  been  interrupted  for  a  bit  —  for  the  lights  winked  on 
again  as  suddenly  as  they  had  winked  out." 

^'By  Jupiter!"  Cleek  cracked  out  the  two  words  like 
the  snapping  of  a  whip  lash,  then  quickly  turned  round  on 
his  heel  and  looked  straight  and  intently  at  the  telegraph 
operator. 

"Speak  up  —  quick!"  he  said  in  the  sharp  staccato  of 
excitement.  ''  I  am  told  that  when  that  crash  came  and  the 
diverted  message  began  there  was  a  force  that  almost 
knocked  you  off  your  stool.     Is  that  true?  " 

"Yes,  sir,"  the  man  replied,  "perfectly  true.  It  was 
something  terrific.  The  Lord  only  knows  what  it  would 
have  been  if  I'd  been  touching  the  instrument." 

"You'd  have  been  as  dead  as  Julius  Caesar!"  flung  back 
Cleek.  "No  wonder  she  cut  away  to  see  what  was  wrong, 
the  vixen!  No  wonder  the  lights  went  out!  Mr.  Narkom, 
the  limousine  —  quick!  Come  along.  Sir  Charles;  come 
along,  Mr.  Beachman  —  come  along  at  once!" 

"Where,  Mr.  Cleek  —  where?" 

"To  the  top  floor  of  the  house  next  door  to  the  Ocean 
Billow  Hotel,  Sir  Charles,  to  see  ^Miss  Greta  Hilmann's' 
precious  pensioners,"  he  made  answer,  rather  excitedly. 
"Unless  I  am  wofully  mistaken,  gentlemen,  one  part  of 
this  Httle  riddle  is  already  solved,  and  the  very  elements 
have  conspired  to  protect  England  to  become  her  foeman's 
executioner." 

He  was  not  mistaken  —  not  in  any  point  with  regard  to 
that  house  and  the  part  it  had  played  in  this  peculiar  case  — 
for,  when  they  visited  it  and  demanded  in  the  name  of  the 
law  the  right  to  enter  and  to  interview  "the  bedridden 
woman  and  the  crippled  girl  who  occupied  the  top  floor," 


170  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

they  were  met  with  the  announcement  that  no  such  persons 
dwelt  there,  nor  had  ever  done  so. 

''It  is  let  to  an  invalid,  it  is  true,"  the  landlady,  a  moth- 
erly, unsuspecting  old  soul,  told  them  when  they  made  the 
demand.  "But  it  is  a  gentleman,  not  a  lady.  A  profes- 
sional gentleman,  I  believe  —  artist  or  sculptor,  something 
of  that  sort  —  and  never  until  last  night  has  anybody  been 
with  him  but  his  niece,  who  makes  occasional  calls.  Last 
night,  however,  a  nephew  came  —  just  for  a  moment;  in- 
deed, it  seemed  to  me  that  he  had  no  more  than  gone  up- 
stairs before  he  came  down  again  and  went  out.  Pardon? 
No,  nobody  has  called  to-day,  neither  has  the  gentleman 
left  his  room.     But  he  often  sleeps  until  late." 

He  was  sleeping  forever  this  time.  For  when  they  came 
to  mount  the  stairs  and  force  open  the  door  of  the  room, 
there,  under  a  half-opened  skylight,  a  dead  man  lay,  one 
screwed-up,  contracted  hand  still  clutching  the  end  of  a  flex, 
which  went  up  and  out  to  the  telegraph  "vvdres  overhead. 
On  a  table  beside  the  body  a  fused  and  utterly  demoKshed 
telegraph  instrument  stood;  and  it  was  evident  from  the 
scrap  of  flex  still  cKnging  to  this  that  it  had  once  formed 
part  of  that  which  the  dead  hand  held;  that  it  had  snapped 
somehow,  and  that  the  man  was  attempting  to  re-attach  it 
to  the  instrument  when  death  overtook  him. 

''Gentlemen,  the  vnve  tapper  '■ — Boris  Borovonski!"  said 
Cleek,  as  he  bent  over  and  looked  at  him.  "Step  here,  Mr. 
Beachman,  and  tell  me  if  this  is  not  the  mian  who  played 
the  part  of  'Miss  Greta  Hilmann's'  interesting  papa." 

"Yes,  yes!"  declared  the  dock  master  excitedly,  after 
he,  too,  had  bent  over  and  looked  into  the  dead  face.  "It 
is  the  very  man,  sir,  the  very  one!  But  who  —  but  why  — 
but  how?"  He  then  looked  upward  in  a  puzzled  way  to 
where  the  flex  went  up  and  out  through  the  skyhght  and, 
threading  through  a  maze  of  wires,  hooked  itself  fast  to  one. 

"Electrocuted,"   said   Cleek,   answering   that  inquiring 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  171 

glance.  "A  few  thousand  volts  —  a  flash  of  flame  through 
heart  and  head  and  hmbs,  and  then  this!  See  his  little 
game,  Mr.  Narkom?  See  it,  do  you,  Sir  Charles?  He  was 
taking  the  message  from  the  tapped  wire  with  that  flex, 
and  the  fragment  that  reached  the  telegraph  ofl5.ce  only  got 
through  when  the  flex  snapped.  The  furious  gale  did 
that,  no  doubt,  whipping  it  away  from  its  moorings,  so 
to  speak,  and  letting  the  message  flash  on  before  he  could 
prevent  it. 

^' Can't  you  read  the  rest  when  you  look  up  and  see  that 
other  wire  —  the  thick  one  with  the  insulated  coating  torn 
and  frayed  by  contact  with  the  chimney's  rough  edge?  It 
is  not  hard  to  reconstruct  the  tragedy  when  one  sees  that. 
When  the  flex  snapped  he  jumped  up  and  grabbed  it,  and 
was  in  the  very  act  of  again  attaching  it  to  the  instrument 
when  he  became  his  own  executioner.  Look  for  yourself. 
The  wild  wind  must  either  have  blown  the  flex  against  the 
bared  wire  of  the  electric  light  or  the  bared  wire  against  the 
flex  —  that  we  shall  never  know  —  and  in  the  winking  of 
an  eye  he  was  annihilated. 

^'No  wonder  the  lights  in  the  hotel  went  out,  Mr.  Beach- 
man.  The  whole  strength  of  the  current  was  short-cir- 
cuited through  this  man's  body,  and  it  crumpled  him  up  as 
a  glove  crumples  when  it  is  cast  in  the  fire.  But  the  dead 
hand,  which  had  recovered  the  broken  flex,  still  held  it,  you 
see,  and  no  more  of  the  Happed'  message  went  down  the 
dockyard  wire.  So  long  as  that  message  continued,  so 
long  as  the  instnmient  which  sent  it  continued  to  send  it, 
it  was  'received'  here  —  a  mere  silent,  unrecorded,  impotent 
thrill  locked  up  in  the  grip  of  a  dead  man's  hand. 

''And  look  there  —  the  pile  of  burnt  paper  beside  the 
fused  instrument  and  the  cinder  of  a  matchbox  against  it. 
The  force  which  obHterated  life  in  him  infused  it  into  the 
'dipped'  heads  of  those  little  wooden  sticks,  and  flashed 
them  into  flame.    So  long  as  there  was  anythiag  for  that 


172  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

flame  to  feed  upon  it  continued  its  work,  you  see,  and  Sophie 
Borovonski  found  nothing  to  take  away  with  her,  after  all. 
Gentlemen,  the  State  secrets  that  were  stolen  will  remain 
England's  own  —  the  records  were  burnt,  and  the  dead 
cannot  betray." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

IT  HAD  gone  two  o'clock.  The  morning's  work  was 
done,  a  hasty  luncheon  disposed  of,  and  the  investiga- 
tors were  back  in  the  dockmaster's  house  discussing  the 
curious  features  of  the  case  again. 

^'And  now,  gentlemen,"  said  Cleek,  *'to  the  unsolved 
part  of  the  riddle  —  the  mysterious  manner  in  which  the 
messages  were  sent  from  this  house.  For  sent  from  here 
they  undoubtedly  were,  and  by  Sophie  Borovonski;  but  the 
question  of  how  still  remains  to  be  discovered." 

*'I  make  it  that  it's  the  devil's  own  work,  Mr.  Cleek," 
said  Maclnery,  ''and  that  there  must  have  been  some  acci- 
dent connected  with  it,  the  same  as  with  the  taking  off  of 
the  wire-tapping  chap." 

''Hardly  that,  I'm  afraid,"  repHed  Cleek.  "I  think  it 
was  accident  which  put  a  stop  to  the  proceedings  here,  not 
one  which  created  them.  We  now  know  perfectly  well 
that  the  woman  was  in  this  house  —  undiscovered  and  un- 
suspected for  days;  and  you  may  safely  lay  your  life  that 
she  wasn't  idle,  wasn't  stopping  here  for  nothing.  The 
pile  of  papers  burnt  shows  very  clearly  that  considerable 
intelligence  had  been  forwarded  to  her  brother,  so  it  is  safe 
to  infer  that  she  was  wiring  it  to  him  constantly." 

"But  how  was  it  possible  for  her  to  obtain  that  informa- 
tion?" queried  Sir  Charles.  "I  again  declare  to  you  most 
solemnly,  Mr.  Cleek,  that  no  one  entered  or  left  the  room, 
that  no  word  was  spoken  that  could  be  said  to  have  any 
bearing  upon  secret  matters,  so  nothing  could  possibly  be 
overheard;  and  how  could  the  woman  read  documents 

17S 


174.  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

which  were  never  out  of  our  sight  for  a  minute?  Granted 
that  she  had  some  means  of  wiring  intelligence  to  her 
brother  —  indeed,  we  now  know  that  to  ha-tre  been  the 
case  —  how  under  God's  heaven  did  she  obtain  that 
intelligence?'' 

*'Well,  that's  a  facer,  certainly,  Sir  Charles;  but  with 
such  a  past-mistress  of  ingenuity  as  she  —  well,  you  never 
know.  Sure  she  couldn't  possibly  have  managed  to  get 
into  the  room  and  hide  herself  somewhere,  you  think?  " 

"1  am  positive  she  couldn't.  The  thing  isn't  possible. 
There's  no  place  where  she  could  have  hidden.  Come  in 
and  see." 

He  unlocked  the  door  and,  followed  by  the  rest,  led  the 
way  into  the  room  where  the  inquiry  into  the  dockmaster's 
affairs  had  been  held.  A  glance  about  it  was  'suf&cient  to 
corroborate  Sir  Charles's  statement. 

On  one  side  stood  a  large  fireproof  safe,  closely  locked; 
on  the  other  were  two  windows  —  iron-grilled  and  with  in- 
side shutters  of  steel;  at  one  end  was  a  large  flat- topped 
table,  at  which  Sir  Charles  and  Maclnery  had  conducted 
their  investigation  of  the  books,  et  cetera,  and  at  the  other 
a  smaller  writing-table,  upon  which  stood  a  typewriter  set 
on  a  sound-deadening  square  of  felt,  and  over  which  hung 
a  white-disked  electric  bulb.  There  were  five  chairs,  and 
not  another  mortal  thing.  No  cupboard,  no  wardrobe,  no 
chest  —  nothing  under  heaven  in  which  a  creature  any  big- 
ger than  a  cat  could  have  hidden. 

"You  see,"  said  Sir  Charles,  with  a  wave  of  the  hand, 
"she  couldn't  have  hidden  in  here,  neither  could  she  have 
hidden  outside  and  overheard,  for  nothing  was  said  that 
could  have  been  of  any  use  to  her." 

"Quite  confident  of  that?" 

"Oh,  I  can  answer  for  that,  Mr.  Cleek,"  put  in  young 
Grimsdick.  "We  were  so  careful  upon  that  point  that  Sir 
Charles  never  dictated  even  the  smallest  thing  that  ha 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  175 

wanted  recorded;  merely  passed  over  the  papers  and  said: 
'  Copy  that  where  I  have  marked  it' ;  and  to  save  my  table 
from  being  overcrowded,  I  scratched  down  the  marked 
paragraphs  in  shorthand,  and  prepared  to  transcribe  them 
on  the  typewriter  later.  Why,  sir,  look  here;  the  diabolical 
part  of  the  mystery  is  that  those  two  fragments  of  sentences 
flashed  out  at  the  telegraph  ofhce  at  the  time  of  that  fright- 
ful peal  of  thunder,  and  at  that  very  instant  I  was  in  the  act 
of  transcribing  them  on  the  typewriter." 

*' Hello!  Hello!"  rapped  out  Cleek,  twitching  round 
sharply.     "Sure  of  that,  are  you ■ —  absolutely  sure?" 

''Beyond  all  question,  Mr.  Cleek.  Sir  Charles  will  tell 
you  that  the  thunder-clap  was  so  violent  and  so  sudden  that 
both  he  and  Mr.  Maclnery  fairly  jumped.  As  for  me,  I  was 
so  startled  that  I  struck  a  wrong  letter  by  mistake  and  had 
to  rub  out  a  word  and  type  it  over  again.  Come  and  see. 
The  paper  is  still  on  my  table,  and  I  can  show  you  the  eras- 
ure and  the  alteration.  Now,  nobody  could  have  seen  that 
paper,  at  that  particular  time;  not  a  soHtary  word  had  been 
spoken  with  regard  to  it,  and  it  wasn't  more  than  half  a 
minute  before  that  Sir  Charles  himself  had  taken  it  out  of 
the  safe.  Look,  sir,  here's  the  paper  and  here's  the  place 
where  I  erased  the  word  —  see?  " 

Cleek  walked  over  to  the  typewriter  and  looked  at  the 
paper,  saw  the  erasure,  lifted  it,  looked  at  other  typed  sheets 
lying  under  it,  and  then  knotted  up  his  brows. 

'' H'm ! "  he  said  reflectively,  and  looked  farther.  "You've 
got  a  devilish  hard  touch  for  a  man  who  does  this  sort  of 
thing  constantly,  and  ought  therefore  to  be  an  adept  in  the 
art  of  typewriting  evenly.  And  there  are  other  errors  and 
erasures.  Look  here,  my  friend,  I  don't  believe  you're 
used  to  this  machine." 

"No,  sir,  I'm  not.  I'm  not  accustomed  to  a  shift  key. 
My  own  machine  hasn't  one." 

"Your  own!    By  Gad!    What  are  you  using  this  ma- 


176      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

chine  for,  then,  if  you've  got  one  of  your  own?  And  why 
didn't  you  bring  your  own  when  you  came  here  on  impor- 
tant business  Hke  this?" 

"1  did;  but  as  we  found  this  one  already  here  I  started  in 
on  it;  and  when  I  found  it  difhcult  to  work,  I  went  out  to 
get  my  own,  which  I'd  left  in  the  outer  room,  just  as  I'd 
taken  it  from  the  carrier  who  brought  it  over.  But  the 
careless  beggar  must  have  handled  it  as  if  it  were  a  trunk, 
for  the  spring  was  broken,  the  carriage  wouldn't  work,  and 
two  of  the  type  bars  were  snapped  off." 

''By  Jupiter r^  Cleek's  voice  struck  in  so  suddenly  and 
with  such  vehemence  that  it  was  almost  a  bark,  like  that 
of  a  startled  terrier,  and  Mr.  Narkom,  knowing  the  signs, 
fairly  jumped  at  him. 

"You've  found  out  something,  /  know!"  he  cried. 
*' What  is  it,  old  chap  —  eh?" 

''Let  me  alone,  let  me  alone! "  flung  back  Cleek,  irritably. 
"I  want  the  dockmaster!  I  want  him  at  once!  Where  is 
the  man?  Oh,  there  you  are,  Mr.  Beachman.  Speak  up 
—  quickly.  Was  that  'Hilmann'  woman  ever  allowed  to 
enter  this  room?  Did  she  ever  make  use  of  this  typewriter 
at  any  time?" 

"Yes,  sir  —  often,"  he  replied.  "She  was  one  of  the 
best  and  most  careful  typists  I  ever  saw.     Used  to  attend 

to  all  my  correspondence  for  me  and Good  God, 

man,  what  are  you  doing?  Don't  you  know  that  that 
thing's  Government  property?" 

For  Cleek,  not  waiting  for  him  to  finish  what  he  was  say- 
ing, had  suddenly  laid  hands  on  the  machine,  found  it 
screwed  fast  to  the  table  and,  catching  up  the  nearest  chairp 
was  now  smashing  and  banging  away  at  it  with  all  his 
force. 

"Government  destruction,  you  mean!"  he  gave  back 
sharply.  "Didn't  I  tell  you  she  was  a  very  demon  of  in- 
genuity, stupid?     Didn't  I  say Victory!     Now  then, 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  177 

look  here  —  all  of  you!  Here's  a  pretty  little  contrivance, 
if  you  like." 

He  had  battered  the  typewriter  from  its  fastenings  and 
sent  it  crashing  to  the  floor,  a  wreck,  not  ten  seconds  before; 
now,  his  hand,  which,  immediately  thereafter,  had  been 
moving  rapidly  over  the  surface  of  the  sound-deadening 
square  of  felt  beneath,  whisked  that,  too,  from  the  table, 
and  let  them  all  see  the  discovery  he  had  made. 

Protruding  from  the  surface  of  that  table  and  set  at 
regular  intervals  there  were  forty-two  needle  points  of  steel 
—  one  for  each  key  of  the  typewriter  —  which  a  moment 
before  had  pierced  the  felt's  surface  just  sufhcient  to  meet 
the  bottom  of  the  ''key"  above  it,  and  to  be  driven  down- 
ward when  that  key  was  depressed. 

Spectacular  as  ever  in  these  times,  he  faced  about  and 
gave  his  hand  an  outward  fling. 

''Gentlemen,  the  answer  to  the  riddle,"  he  said.  "You 
have  been  supplying  her  with  the  needed  information  your- 
selves. A  ducat  to  a  door  knob,  every  time  a  letter  was 
struck  on  this  machine  its  exact  duplicate  was  recorded 
somewhere  else.  Get  a  saw,  Mr.  Beachman,  and  let  us 
see  to  what  these  steel  points  lead." 

They  led  to  a  most  ingenious  contrivance,  as  it  turned 
out.  A  highly  sensitive  spiral  spring  attached  to  an  "  arm" 
of  thin,  tough  steel  beneath  the  surface  of  the  table  com- 
municated with  a  rigid  wire  running  down  the  wall  behind 
one  of  that  table's  back  legs  and,  passing  thence  through  a 
small  gimlet-hole  in  the  floor,  descended  and  disappeared. 

Following  that  wire's  course,  they,  too,  descended  until, 
in  the  fulness  of  time,  the  end  was  reached  in  a  far  corner 
of  the  cellar  underneath  the  building. 

There,  behind  an  upturned  empty  cask,  they  came  upon 
yet  another  wire,  which  wound  upward,  and  was  found 
afterward  to  travel  out  and  up  beside  the  "leader"  until  it 
joined  the  private  wire  of  the  dockyard  just  outside  the 


178      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

dormer  window  of  what  had  once  been  Miss  Greta  Hil- 
mann's  bedroom.  And  to  these  wires  —  the  one  descend- 
ing and  the  other  ascending  from  behind  that  empty  cask 
in  the  cellar  —  there  was  a  singular  contrivance  attached. 
To  one,  a  plain,  everyday  instrument  for  dispatching  tele- 
grams by  the  Morse  system;  to  the  other,  a  curious  little 
keyboard  which  was  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  keyboard 
to  the  typewriter  upstairs;  and  besides  this  there  lay  some 
remnants  of  food  from  the  store  cupboard  of  the  house,  and 
a  sheaf  of  paper  leaves  covered  with  typewritten  characters. 

*'  Gentlemen,  the  absolute  end  of  the  riddle  at  last,"  said 
Cleek  as  he  took  up  one  of  those  leaves.  *'Lookatthem  — 
Government  secrets  every  one.  And  I,  like  an  ass,  forgot 
to  remember  that  Nicolo  Ferrand  was  one  of  the  cleverest 
mechanicians  and  one  of  the  craftiest  'wire  workers'  that 
the  underworld  boasts.  Look,  Sir  Charles;  look,  Mr. 
Narkom.  Every  touch  of  a  letter  on  the  keyboard  of  the 
typewriter  upstairs  registered  its  exact  duplicate  on  this 
infernal  contrivance  down  here,  and  fast  as  it  was  recorded, 
that  vixen  wired  it  on  to  Boris  Borovonski.  Can't  you 
understand  now  why  she  left  her  post  and  flew  to  him? 
The  shock  which  killed  him  and  travelled  with  lessened 
force  down  the  wire  to  the  telegraph  operator  was  felt  here, 
and  the  instrument  she  used  was,  in  all  probability,  dis- 
abled. She  knew  then,  of  course,  that  something  had  hap- 
pened to  her  brother,  and  in  a  panic  flew  to  find  out  what. 

"But  even  the  shrewdest  sKp  up  sometimes  and  overlook 
things.  Her  fooUsh  slip  lay  in  this:  that  she  forgot  to 
take  with  her  these  original  drafts  of  the  intelHgence  she 
Jiad  wired  to  the  dead  man." 

"Ah,  weel,"  said  Mr.  Alexander  Maclnery,  who,  like  a 
true  Scotsman,  never  liked  to  be  found  at  the  small  end  of 
the  horn  upon  any  occasion,  ''after  all,  'tis  no  more  than  I 
expected.  I  said  it  was  accident  that  was  at  the  bottom  of 
it,  and  accident  it's  turned  out  to  be." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  179 

"No  doubt,"  agreed  Cleek,  with  one  of  his  peculiar 
smiles.  "But,  personally,  I  always  like  to  think  that  there's 
a  Power    above,  and    when   men  —  aiid   nations  —  have 

played  the  game  squarely Shan't  we  be  going  upstairs, 

Sir  Charles?  Mr.  Narkom  and  I  have  a  long  ride  back  to 
town,  and  the  afternoon  is  on  the  decHne." 

It  was  still  farther  on  that  road,  however,  before  he  was 
able  to  actually  tear  himself  away  from  the  dockyard  and 
be  off  home;  for  there  were  those  little  legal  necessities 
which  are  the  penalty  of  dealing  with  Government  affairs 
to  be  attended  to ;  there  was  the  boring  business  of  meeting 
high  officials,  and  Hstening  to  compliments  and  congratula- 
tions,  and  he  was  really  glad  when  the  limousine,  answering 
to  orders,  rolled  up,  the  final  good-byes  were  said,  and  he 
and  Mr.  Narkom  swung  off  townward  together. 

But  despite  the  fact  that  he  had  just  carried  to  a  success- 
ful conclusion  a  case  which  would  go  far  to  enhance  his 
reputation  and  to  hasten  the  day  for  which  he  had  so  long 
and  so  earnestly  worked,  Cleek  was  singularly  uncom- 
municative, markedly  abstracted,  as  they  rode  back 
through  the  streets  of  Portsmouth  Town  on  their  way  to 
the  highroad;  and  had  the  superintendent  been  more 
observant  and  less  wrapped  up  in  the  glory  that  was  to  be 
theirs  as  the  result  of  the  day's  adventure,  he  might  have 
discovered  that,  while  his  ally  seemed  to  be  dozing  stupidly 
when  he  was  not  leaning  back  in  a  comer  and  smoking, 
he  was  all  the  time  keeping  a  close  watch  of  the  crowded 
streets  through  which  they  were  speeding  as  if  looking 
for  some  one  or  something  he  expected  to  see.  Nor 
did  he  relax  this  pecuKar  system  of  vigilance  even  after 
the  town  itself  had  dropped  away  into  the  far  distance, 
and  the  car  was  scudding  along  over  the  broad  stretches 
and  the  less-frequented  thoroughfares  of  the  open  coun- 
try. 

"I  shall  not  go  all  the  way  back  with  you,  if  you  don't 


180      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

mind,  Mr.  Narkom,"  he  said,  breaking  silence  abruptly, 
as  they  raced  along.  ^'Just  set  me  down  at  the  place 
where  you  picked  me  up  this  morning,  please,  and  I  will 
do  the  rest  of  the  journey  by  train.'' 

'Xinnamon!     Why?" 

''Oh,  just  a  mere  whim  of  mine,  that's  all.  No  —  don't 
press  me  for  an  explanation,  please.  'WTiere  ignorance  is 
bhss,"  et  cetera.  Besides,  I'm  a  whimsical  beggar  at  best, 
you  know  —  and  who  bothers  to  inquire  why  a  donkey  pre- 
fers thistles  to  hay?  So  just  drop  me  down  when  w^e  reach 
the  outskirts  of  Guildford,  if  you  will  be  so  kind." 

Mr.  Narkom  was  discreet  enough  to  drop  the  subject 
at  that  and  to  make  no  further  allusion  to  the  matter  until 
they  came,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  to  the  place  in  question. 
Here  he  called  Lennard  to  a  halt,  and  Cleek  ahghted  —  not 
furtively,  nor  yet  in  haste  —  and,  standing  beside  the  car, 
reached  in  and  shook  hands  with  him. 

"Until  you  want  me  again,"  he  smiled  in  his  easy,  off- 
hand way.  "And  if  that  turns  out  to  be  a  long  time  off  I 
shan't  be  sorry.  Meanwhile,  if  you  wish  to  do  me  a  favour, 
look  about  for  a  limousine  of  another  make  and  a  quite 
different  colour.  I've  an  odd  idea  that  this  one  is  fast 
coming  to  the  end  of  its  career  of  usefuhiess.  Good-bye. 
All  right,  Lennard  —  let  her  go." 

Then  the  door  of  the  car  closed  with  a  smack,  and  he  was 
off  and  away  —  so  openly  and  at  such  a  leisurely  pace  that 
it  was  clear  he  had  neither  need  nor  desire  to  effect  a  get- 
away unobserved. 

"Well,  I'll  be  dashed!"  was  Mr.  Narkom's  unspoken 
comment  upon  the  proceeding  —  for,  under  his  hat,  he  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  Cleek  had,  in  some  way,  by 
some  unconfessed  means,  learned  that  Waldemar  or  the 
Apache  had  come  back  into  the  game  and  were  again  on  his 
heels,  but  had  said  nothing  for  fear  of  worr>^ing  him. 
"Walking  off  as  cool  as  you  please  and  never  the  first 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  181 

attempt  to  come  any  of  his  old  Vanishing  Cracksman's 
dodges.  Amazing  beggar!  What's  he  up  to  now,  I  won- 
der?" 

It  is  just  possible  that  could  he  have  followed  he  would 
have  wondered  still  more,  for  Cleek  was  bearing  straight 
down  upon  the  populous  portions  of  the  town,  and  about 
ten  minutes  after  they  two  had  parted,  struck  into  the  High 
Street,  wallced  along  it  for  a  short  distance,  studying  the 
signs  over  the  various  buildings  until,  sighting  one  which 
announced  that  it  was  tlie  Guildford  Office  of  the  Royal 
British  Life  Assurance  Society,  he  crossed  the  street,  and 
with  great  deliberation  passed  in  under  it,  and  disappeared 
from  sight. 

It  was  one  of  the  contradictory  points  of  his  singularly 
contradictory  character,  that  whereas  he  had  chafed  under 
the  delay  in  getting  away  from  the  Royal  dockyard  at 
Portsea  because  he  was  eager  to  get  back  to  his  work  in  the 
little  old  walled  garden,  and  all  his  thoughts  were  with  the 
flowers  he  was  preparing  for  her,  in  the  end  he  did  not  see 
the  place  until  after  the  moon  was  up,  and  all  hope  of  gar- 
dening for  that  day  had  to  be  abandoned  entirely,  yet  —  he 
came  back  to  Dollops  whistling  and  as  happy  as  a  sand- 
boy. 

He  was  up  with  the  first  cock  crow  next  morning,  and 
dawn  found  him  plying  fork  and  rake  and  trowel  among  the 
flowers,  and  positively  bubbling  over  with  enthusiasm;  for 
the  budding  roses  were  just  beginning  to  show  colour  and 
to  give  promise  of  full  bloom  for  the  day  of  days  —  and 
more  than  that  he  did  not  ask  of  heaven. 

Indeed,  it  was  written  that  he  might  not,  for  the  balance 
had  again  swung  over,  the  call  of  Nature  again  sounded, 
and  the  Great  Mother,  taking  him  to  her  bosom,  had  again 
merged  the  Man  in  the  Idealist  and  cradled  him  into  for- 
getfulness  of  all  spells  but  hers.  So  that  all  through  the 
day  he  went  in  and  out  among  his  flowers  whistling  and 


182      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

singing  and  living  in  a  sort  of  ecstasy  that  ran  on  like  a 
dream  without  end. 

On  the  morrow  the  Httle  garden  was  all  finished  and 
ready,  and  nothiQg  now  remained  but  to  sit  in  idleness  and 
wait. 


CHAPTER  XX 

MAY  had  smiled  itself  out  and  June  had  blushed  itself 
in  —  the  most  wondrous  June,  in  Cleek's  eyes,  the 
world  had  ever  seen.  For  the  long  waiting  was  over,  the 
old  order  of  things  had  changed,  the  little  house  in  the  mea- 
dowlands  had  its  new  tenant,  and  she  was  in  England  again. 

It  did  not  fret  him,  as  it  otherwise  might  have  done,  that 
he  and  Dollops  had  been  obliged  to  go  back  to  the  old  busi- 
ness of  lodging  a  week  here  and  a  week  there  in  the  heart 
of  the  town,  rather  than  within  reach  of  the  green  trees  and 
the  fragrant  meadows  he  loved,  for  always  there  was  the 
chance  of  stealing  out  to  meet  her  in  the  glorious  country- 
lands  when  the  evening  came,  or  of  a  whole  "day  with  her  in 
the  woods  and  fields  when  a  whole  day  could  be  spared ;  and 
to  a  nature  such  as  his  these  things  were  recompense  enough. 

Not  that  many  days  could  be  spared  at  present,  for, 
although  nothing  had  been  seen  or  heard  of  Waldemar  or 
the  Apaches  for  weeks  on  end,  these  were  strenuous  times 
for  Mr.  Narkom  and  the  forces  of  the  Yard,  and  what  with 
the  Coronation  of  his  Majesty  close  at  hand,  and  every  train 
discharging  hordes  of  visitors  into  London  day  in  and  day 
out,  and  crooks  of  every  description  —  homemade  as  well 
as  imported  —  from  the  swell  mobsman  down  to  the  com- 
mon lag  making  it  the  Mecca  of  an  unholy  pilgrimage  — - 
they  had  their  hands  filled  to  overflowing,  and  were  worked 
to  their  utmost  capacity. 

The  result,  so  far  as  Cleek  was  concerned,  scarcely  needs 
recording.  It  was  not  in  him  to  be  guilty  of  that  form  of 
snobbishness  which  is  known  as  "standing  on  his  dignity" 

183 


184      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

at  such  a  time  —  when  the  man  who  had  stood  his  friend 
was  in  need  of  help,  indeed,  might  lose  his  ofhcial  head 
if  he  were  found  wanting  in  such  a  crisis  —  so  that,  natur- 
ally, he  came  to  Mr.  Narkom's  assistance  and  took  a  hand 
in  the  '^sorting  out"  process  in  the  manner  —  yes,  and  at 
times,  in  the  uniform,  too  —  of  the  ordinary  constable,  and 
proved  of  such  invaluable  aid  in  the  matter  of  scenting  out 
undesirables  and  identifying  professional  crooks  that  things 
speedily  fell  into  a  more  orderly  shape,  and  he  had  just 
begun  to  look  forward  to  a  resumption  of  those  happy  days 
of  wandering  in  the  woods  with  Ailsa  when  out  of  the  lull  of 
coming  peace  there  fell  an  official  bombshell. 

It  took  the  form  of  a  cablegram  —  a  belated  cipher  com- 
munication from  the  police  of  America  to  the  police  of  Great 
Britain  —  which  on  being  decoded,  ran  thus: 

"Just  succeeded  in  tracing  218.  Sailed  ten  days  ago  on 
Tunisian  —  Allan  Line  —  from  Canada,  under  name  of  Ham- 
mond. Woman  with  him.  Handsome  blonde.  Passing  as 
sister.     Believed  to  be  774." 

Now  as  this  little  exchange  of  courtesies  relative  to  the 
movements  of  the  noted  figures  of  the  underworld  is  of  al- 
most daily  occurrence  between  the  police  systems  of  the 
two  countries  in  question,  Mr.  Narkom  had  only  to  consult 
his  Code  Book  to  get  at  the  gist  of  the  matter;  and  when  he 
did  get  at  it,  his  httle  fat  legs  bent  under  him  like  a  couple 
of  straw^s,  his  round  little  body  collapsed  into  the  nearest 
chair,  and  he  came  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  having  a 
"stroke." 

For  the  Tunisian,  as  it  happened,  had  docked  and  dis- 
charged her  passengers  exactly  thirteen  hours  before,  so 
that  it  was  safe  to  declare  that  the  persons  to  whom  those 
numerals  alluded  had  unquestionably  sHpped  unchallenged 
past  the  guardians  of  the  port,  and  were  safely  housed  at 
this  minute  within  the  intricacies  of  that  vast  brick-and- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  185 

mortar  puzzle,  London;  yet  here  they  were  registered  in  the 
Code  Book,  thus: 

"No.  218  —  Nicholas  Hemmingway,  popularly  known  as 
*  Diamond  Nick.'  American.  Expert  swindler,  confidence  man 
and  jewel  thief.  Ex-actor  and  very  skilful  at  impersonation. 
See  Rogues'  Gallery  for  portrait. 

"No  774  —  Ella  Plawsen,  variously  known  to  members  of  the 
light-fingered  fraternity  as  'Dutch  Ella'  and  'Lady  Bell.' 
German- American.  Probably  the  most  adroit  female  jewel 
thief  in  existence.  Highly  educated,  exceedingly  handsome, 
and  amazingly  plausible  and  quick  witted.  Usually  does  the 
^society  dodge.'  Natural  blonde,  and  about  twenty-five  years 
old.     No  photograph  obtainable." 

Within  forty-five  minutes  after  Mr.  Narkom  had  mas- 
tered these  facts  he  had  rushed  with  them  to  Cleek,  and 
there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  list  of  special  constables  from 
that  time  forth. 

''Slipped  in,  have  they?"  said  Cleek  when  he  heard. 
^'Well,  be  sure  of  one  thing,  Mr.  Narkom:  they  will  not 
have  gone  to  a  hotel  —  at  least  in  the  beginning  —  they 
are  far  too  sharp  for  that.  Neither  will  they  house  them- 
selves in  any  hole  and  corner  where  their  sallying  forth  in 
fine  feathers  to  make  their  little  clean-up  would  occasion 
comment  and  so  lead  to  a  clue.  Indeed,  I  shouldn't  be 
surprised  if  they  were  far  too  shrewd  to  remain  together  in 
any  place,  but  will  elect  to  operate  singly,  appear  to  have 
no  connection  whatsoever,  while  they  are  here,  and  to  have 
a  sort  of  'happy  reunion'  elsewhere  after  their  little  job 
has  been  pulled  off  successfully.  But  in  any  case,  when  we 
find  them  —  if  we  ever  do  —  depend  upon  it  they  will  be, 
located  in  some  quiet,  respectable,  secluded  district,  one  of 
the  suburbs,  for  instance,  and  living  as  circumspectly  as 
the  most  prudish  of  prying  neighbours  could  desire. 

" Let  us  then  go  in  for  a  series  of  'walking  tours'  about  the 
outlying  districts,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  see  if  we  can't  stimible 


186       CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

over  something  that  will  be  worth  while.  It  is  true  I've 
never  met  nor  even  seen  Hemmingway,  but  I  fancy  I  should 
know  if  a  man  were  made  up  or  not  for  the  role  in  which  he 
appears.  I  did,  however,  brush  elbows  with  Dutch  Ella 
once.  It  was  that  time  I  went  over  to  New  York  on  that 
affair  of  the  Amsterdam  diamonds.  You  remember?  When 
I  'spKt'  the  reward  with  the  fellow  from  Mulberry  Street, 
whose  daughter  wanted  to  study  music  as  a  profession  and 
he  couldn't  afford  to  let  her.  I  hobnobbed  with  some  ac- 
quaintances of  the  —  er  —  old  days,  over  there,  and  went 
one  night  to  the  big  French  Ball  at  the  Academy  of  Music, 
where,  my  companion  of  the  night  told  me,  there  would  be 
*a  smashing  big  clean-up,  as  half  the  swell  crooks  in  town 
would  be  there  —  for  business.' 

"They  were,  I  dare  say,  for  he  kept  pointing  out  this  one 
and  that  to  me  and  saying, '  That's  so  and  so !'  as  they  danced 
past  us.  I  shouldn't  know  any  of  them  again,  so  far  as 
looks  are  concerned,  for  the  annual  French  Ball  in  New 
York  is  a  masked  ball,  as  you  are,  perhaps,  aware;  and  I 
shouldn't  know  'Dutch  Ella'  any  better  than  the  rest,  but 
for  one  thing  —  although  I  danced  with  her." 

"Danced  with  her,  Cleek?     Danced? " 

*'  Yes.  For  the  purpose  of  '  getting  a  line  on  her  shape, '  so 
to  speak,  for  possible  future  reference.  I  couldn't  see  her 
face,  for  she  was  masked  to  the  very  chin;  but  there's  a 
curious,  tumor-like  lump,  as  big  as  a  hen's  egg,  just  under 
her  right  shoulder-blade,  and  there's  the  scar  of  an  acid 
bum  on  the  back  of  her  left  hand  that  she'll  carry  to  her 
grave.  I  shall  know  that  scar  if  ever  I  see  it  again.  And 
if  by  any  chance  I  should  run  foul  of  a  woman  bearing  one 
like  it,  and  that  woman  should  prove  to  have  also  a  lump 

imder  the   right   shoulder-blade Come   along !    Let's 

get  out  and  see  if  we  can  find  one.  'Time  flies,'  as  the  an- 
archist said  when  he  blew  up  the  clock  factory.  Let's  tod- 
dle." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  187 

They  ''toddled"  forthwith,  but  on  a  fruitless  errand,  as 
it  proved.  Nevertheless,  they  ''toddled"  again  the  next 
day  as  hopefully  as  ever;  and  the  next  after  that,  and  the 
next  again,  yet  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  they  were  no  nearer 
any  clue  to  the  whereabouts  of  Dutch  Ella  and  Diamond 
Nick  than  they  had  been  in  the  beginning.  If,  as  Cleek 
sometimes  fancied,  they  had  not  merely  passed  through 
England  on  their  way  to  the  Continent,  but  were  still  here, 
housed  like  hawks  in  a  safe  retreat  from  which  they  made 
predatory  excursions  under  the  very  noses  of  the  police, 
there  was  nothing  to  signaHze  it.  No  amazing  jewel  theft, 
no  affair  of  such  importance  as  one  engineered  by  them 
would  be  sure  to  be,  had  as  yet  been  reported  to  the  Yard; 
and  for  all  clue  there  was  to  their  doings  or  their  whereabouts 
one  might  as  well  have  set  out  to  find  last  summer's  roses 
or  last  winter's  snow  as  hope  to  pick  it  up  by  any  method  as 
yet  employed. 

Thus  matters  stood  when  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day 
Cleek  elected  to  make  Hampstead  Heath  and  its  environ- 
ments the  scene  of  their  operations,  and  at  nine  o'clock  set 
forth  in  company  with  the  superintendent  to  put  them  into 
force  in  that  particular  locality,  with  the  result  that  by 
noontime  they  found  themselves  in  the  thick  of  as  pretty 
a  riddle  as  they  had  fallen  foul  of  in  many  a  day. 

It  came  about  in  this  way : 

Turning  out  of  St.  Uldred's  road  into  a  quiet,  tree-shaded 
avenue  running  parallel  with  the  historic  heath,  somewhere 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Vale  of  Health  district,  they 
looked  up  to  discover  that  there  was  but  one  building  in 
the  entire  length  of  the  thoroughfare  —  a  large,  imposing 
residence  set  back  from  the  road  proper,  and  encircled  by  a 
high  stone  wall  with  curiously  wrought  iron  gates  leading 
into  the  enclosure  —  and  that  before  that  building  two 
copper-skinned,  turbaned,  fantastically  clothed  Hindus 
were  doing  sentry  duty  in  a  manner  pecuHar  unto  them- 


188  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

selves  —  the  one  standing  as  motionless  as  a  bronze  irnag^ 
before  the  barred  gateway,  and  the  other  pacing  up  and 
down  before  him  like  a  clockwork  toy  that  had  been  well 
wound  up. 

''The  Punjab  for  a  ducat!"  declared  Cleek  as  he  caught 
sight  of  them.  ''And  the  insignia  of  the  Ranee  of  Jhang, 
or  I'm  a  Dutchman.  I  knew  the  old  girl  was  over  here  for 
the  coronation,  to  be  sure,  but  I'd  no  idea  of  stumbhng  over 
some  of  her  attendants  in  this  quarter,  by  Jip!  Not  put- 
ting up  out  here  of  late,  is  she,  Mr.  Narkom?  " 

"No.  She's  still  at  Kensington.  And  what  the  dickens 
those  johnnies  are  keeping  guard  over  that  place  for  beats 
us.  Know  it,  don't  you?  It's  the  residence  of  Sir  Mawson 
Leake  —  Leake  &  Leake,  you  know:  Jewellers,  Bond  Street. 
Fine  old  place,  isn't  it?     Inherited  it  from  his  father,  as 

he  did  the  business,  and What's  that?     No,   not  a 

young  man  —  not  a  young  man  by  any  means.     Grown 

children  —  two   sons.      One   by  his   first  wife,   and 

Hullo !  that's  a  rum  trick,  by  James !  See  that,  did  you,  old 
chap?" 

"See  what?  The  manner  in  which  that  clockwork  John- 
nie stopped  in  his  tracks  and  eyed  us  as  we  passed?" 

"No.  The  woman.  All  mufHed  up  to  the  eyes  —  and 
in  weather  like  this.  Just  stepped  out  of  tne  house  door, 
saw  those  two  niggers,  and  then  bolted  back  indoors  as  if 
the  Old  Boy  was  after  her." 

"Caught  sight  of  us,  very  Ukely.  You  know  what  high- 
class  Brahmans  are  where  Europeans  are  concerned.  It 
will  be  the  old  Ranee  herself,  three  to  one,  paying  a  morn- 
ing visit  to  the  jeweller  in  reference  to  some  of  her  amazing 
gems.  That  would  explain  the  presence  of  the  sentries. 
She  travels  nowhere  without  a  guard." 

"To  be  sure,"  admitted  the  superintendent,  and  walked 
on,  dropping  the  matter  from  his  mind  entirely. 

Ten  minutes  later,  however,  it  was  brought  back  to  it  in 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  189 

a  rather  startKng  manner;  for,  upon  rounding  the  end  of  the 
thoroughfare  along  which  they  had  been  walking,  and  com- 
ing abreast  of  an  isolated  building  (which  was  clearly  the 
stable  of  the  house  they  had  recently  passed),  they  were 
surprised  to  hear  the  sound  of  a  mufHed  cry  within,  to  catch 
a  whiff  of  charcoal  smoke  as  the  door  was  flung  wildly  open. 
by  the  same  muffled  female  Mr.  Narkom  had  observed  pre- 
viously, and  something  more  than  merely  startled  to  have 
her  rush  at  them  the  instant  she  caught  sight  of  them,  cry- 
ing out  distractedly: 

*'I  was  afraid  of  it,  I  knew  it!  I  knew  that  he  would! 
Oh,  help  me,  gentlemen  —  help  me  for  the  love  of  God!  I 
can't  Hft  him.  I  can't  drag  him  out  —  he  is  too  heavy  for 
me!  My  husband!  In  there!  In  there !  He'H  die  if  you 
don't  get  him  out ! ' ' 

They  understood  then,  and  for  the  first  tune,  what  she 
was  driving  at,  and  rushed  past  her  into  the  stable  —  into 
what  had  once  been  designed  for  a  coachman's  bedroom  — 
to  find  an  apartment  Hterally  reeking  with  the  fumes  that 
poured  out  from  a  charcoal  furnace  on  the  floor,  and  beside 
that  the  body  of  a  man  —  inert,  crumpled  up,  fast  sinking 
into  that  hopeless  state  of  unconsciousness  which  precedes 
asphyxiation  by  charcoal. 

In  the  winking  of  an  eye  Cleek  had  caught  up  the  deadly 
little  firebrick  furnace  and  sent  it  crashing  through  the 
plugged-up  window  into  the  grounds  behind,  letting  a  current 
of  pure  air  rush  through  the  place;  then,  while  Narkom,  with 
one  hand  over  his  mouth  and  nostrils,  and  the  other  swing- 
ing a  pair  of  handcuffs  by  their  chain,  was  doing  a  like  thing 
with  another  window  in  the  front  wall,  he  gathered  up  the 
semi-conscious  man,  swung  him  sackhke  over  his  shoulder, 
carried  him  out  into  the  roadway,  and  propped  him  up 
against  the  side  of  the  stable,  while  he  chafed  his  hands  and 
smacked  his  cheeks  and,  between  times,  fanned  him  mth  his 
}iatbrim  and  swore  at  him  for  a  ''weak-backed,  marrowless 


190  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

thing  to  call  itself  a  man,  and  yet  go  in  for  the  poltroon^s 
trick  of  suicide  I" 

The  woman  was  still  there,  squeezing  her  hands  and  sob- 
bing hysterically,  but  although  she  had  not  as  yet  uncovered 
her  face,  it  did  not  need  that  to  attest  the  fact  that  she  was 
no  Hindu,  but  white  like  the  man  she  had  spoken  of  as  her 
husband,  and  at  the  very  first  words  she  uttered  when  she 
saw  that  he  was  beyond  danger,  both  Cleek  and  Narkom 
knew  them  for  what  they  were  —  Sir  Mawson  and  Lady 
Leake. 

"Mawson,  how  could  you!"  she  said  reproachfully,  going 
to  him  the  very  instant  he  was  able  to  get  on  his  feet,  and 
folding  him  to  her  in  an  agonized  embrace.  "I  suspected 
it  when  you  left  the  house  —  but,  oh,  how  could  you?  " 

"I  don't  know,"  he  made  answer,  somewhat  shame- 
facedly yet  mth  a  note  of  agony  in  his  voice  that  made  one 
pity  him  in  spite  of  all.  "But  it  seemed  too  horrible  a 
disgrace  to  be  lived  through.  And  now  I  shall  have  to  face 
it!  Oh,  my  God,  Ada,  it  is  too  much  to-  ask  a  man  to  bear! 
They  are  there,  on  guard,  those  Hindus,  protecting  me  and 
mine  until  the  Ranee's  steward  comes  to  receive  the  Ladder 
of  Light,  as  promised,  at " 

"  Sh-h!"  she  struck  in  warningly,  remembering  the  pres- 
ence  of  the  others,  and  clapping  her  hand  over  his  mouth 
to  stay  any  further  admission;  for  she  had  heard  Cleek  re- 
peat after  her  husband  —  but  with  a  soft  significant  whistle 
—  "The  Ladder  of  Light!"  and  supplement  that  with, 
"Well,  I'm  dashed!"  and  turned  round  on  him  instantly 
with  a  forced  smile  upon  her  Hps  but  the  look  of  terror  still 
lingering  in  her  fast- winking  eyes. 

"It  is  rude  of  me,  gentlemen,  to  forget  to  thank  you  for 
your  kind  assistance,  and  I  ask  your  forgiveness,"  she  said. 
"I  owe  you  many,  many  thanks  and  I  am  endeavouring  t(? 
express  them.     But  as  this  is  merely  a  little  family  affair 
I  am  sure  you  will  understand," 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      191  j 

It  was  a  polite  dismissal.  Narkom  pivoted  his  little  fat 
body  on  his  heel,  and  prepared  to  take  it.     Cleek  didn't. 

"Your  pardon,  but  the  Ladder  of  Light  can  never  be  re- 
garded as  a  family  affair  in  any  English  household  whatso- 
ever," he  said,  blandly.  *'I  can  give  you  its  exact  history 
if  you  wish  it.  It  is  a  necklace  said  to  have  once  been  the 
property  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba  and  worn  by  her  at  the 
court  of  King  Solomon.  It  is  made  up  of  twelve  magnificent 
steel-white  diamonds,  cut  semi-square,  and  each  weigh- 
ing twenty-eight  and  one  half  carats.  They  are  joined  to- 
gether by  slender  gold  links  fitting  into  minute  holes  pierced 
through  the  edge  of  each  stone.  It  is  valued  at  one  million 
pounds  sterling  and  is  the  property  of  the  Ranee  of  Jhang^ 
who  prizes  it  above  all  other  of  her  marvellous  and  priceless 
jewels.  She  is  not  a  pleasant  old  lady  to  cross,  the  Ranee. 
She  would  be  a  shrieking  devil  if  anything  were  to  happea* 
to  that  necklace,  your  ladyship." 

She  had  been  slowly  shrinking  from  him  as  the  history 
of  the  Ladder  of  Light  proceeded;  now  she  leaned  back 
against  her  husband,  full  of  surprise  and  despairing  terror, 
and  stared  and  stared  in  a  silence  that  was  only  broken  by 
little  fluttering  breaths  of  alarm. 

"It  is  imcanny!"  she  managed  to  say  at  last.  "You 
know  of  that?  Of  the  necklace?  You  know  even  me?  — 
us?  —  and  yet  I  have  not  uncovered  my  face  nor  given  you 
my  name.  Are  you  then  gifted  with  clairvoyance,  Mr.  — • 
Mr. " 

"  Cleek,"  h€  gave  back,  making  her  a  polite  bow.  "  Cleek 
is  the  name,  Lady  Leake.     Cleek  of  Scotland  Yard." 

"That  man?  Dear  God!  that  amazing  man?"  she  cried, 
her  whole  face  lighting  up,  her  drooping  figure  springing 
erect,  revitalized. 

"At  your  ladyship's  service,"  he  replied.  "We  are  out 
this  morning  —  Superintendent  Narkom  and  I  —  in  quest 
of  what  is  probably  the  most  skilful  and  audacious  pair  of 


192  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

jewel  thieves  in  the  world  —  just  the  one  particular  pair 
in  all  the  universe  to  whom  a  loot  so  valuable  as  the  Ladder 
of  Light  would  offer  the  strongest  kind  of  an  appeal.  So, 
if  by  any  chance,  something  has  occurred  which  threatens 
the  safety  of  that  amazing  necklace  —  and  you  and  Sir 

Mawson  are  in  a  position  to  know  the  facts Com  e ! 

Take  me  into  your  confidence,  and  —  perhaps!  Who 
knows?  " 

Before  he  had  fairly  finished  speaking,  Lady  Leake  caught 
up  his  hand,  and,  holding  it  fast  squeezed  in  both  her  own, 
looked  up  at  him  with  bright,  wet  eyes. 

"It  must  have  been  heaven  itself  that  sent  you  to  us  this 
moirning,"  she  cried.  "If  any  man  in  the  world  can  help 
us,  I  beheve  in  my  soul  that  you  are  the  man.  Mawson, 
you  hear,  dearest?  It  is  Mr.  Cleek.  The  wonderful  Mr. 
Cleek.  Why  didn't  we  think  of  him  before?  Tell  him, 
Mawson  —  tell  him  everything,  my  dear." 

Sir  Mawson  acted  upon  the  suggestion  instantly. 

"Mr.  Cleek,  I  beg,  I  implore  you  to  come  to  our  assist- 
ance!" he  exclaimed  in  a  very  transport  of  excitement. 
"Lady  Leake  is  right.  If  any  man  can,  you  are  he!  You 
ask  if  anything  has  happened  with  regard  to  that  accursed 
necklace  and  if  I  can  give  you  any  information  on  the  sub- 
ject? To  both  questions,  yes!  It  is  gone!  It  is  lost!  It 
is  stolen!" 

"What's  that?  Stolen?  The  Ladder  of  Light?  Good 
heavens!     When?     Wliere?     How?" 

*  ^  Yesterday  —  from  my  keeping !  From  my  house !  And 
God  have  mercy  on  me,  I  have  every  reason  to  beheve  that 
the  thief  is  my  eldest  son!" 


CHAPTER  XXI 

IT  WAS  a  full  minute  later  and  in  all  that  minute's 
length  no  one  had  spoken,  no  one  had  made  a  single 
sound. 

The  shock,  the  shame,  of  such  a  confession,  telling,  as  it 
did,  why  he  had  attempted  to  destroy  himself,  had  crum- 
pled the  man  up,  taken  all  the  vitality  out  of  him.  He  faced 
round  and  leaned  his  bent  arm  against  the  wall  of  the  stable, 
hid  his  face  in  the  crook  of  it,  and  Cleek,  pitying  him,  let 
him  have  that  minute  all  to  himself.     Then: 

'Xome,"  he  said,  very  gently,  going  over  to  him  and 
patting  him  on  the  shoulder.  "Buck  up!  Buck  upl 
There's  nothing  in  all  the  world  so  deceptive  as  appearances, 

Sir  Mawson ;  perhaps,  when  I've  heard  the  facts Well, 

haven't  I  told  you  that  I  am  out  for  a  pair  of  expert  jewel 
thieves,  and  that  that  necklace  is  just  the  sort  of  thing 
they'd  be  likely  to  make  play  for?  How  do  you  know, 
then,  that  they  didn't?" 

*'I  wish  I  could  believe  that,  I  wish  I  could  even  hope 
it,"  he  gave  back  miserably.  ''But  you  don't  know  the 
facts,  Mr.  Cleek." 

''To  be  sure  I  don't;  and  they're  what  I'm  after.  Let's 
have  them,  please.  To  begin  with,  how  came  the  Ladder 
of  Light  to  be  in  your  possession  at  all?" 

"It  was  brought  to  me  yesterday  —  for  repairing  —  by 
the  Ranee's  own  major  domo.  Not  a  mere  cice,  Mr.  Cleek, 
but  the  most  trusted  of  all  her  henchmen.  Three  of  the 
narrow  gold  Knks  which  hold  the  stones  together  had  worn 
thin  and  needed  strengthening.     It  was  four  o'clock  in  the 

193 


194  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

afternoon  when  he  arrived,  and  the  Ranee,  he  said,  had 
selected  our  house  for  the  work  on  the  recommendation  of 
royalty.  There  was  several  hours'  work  on  the  thing  —  I 
saw  that  the  instant  I  examined  it.  But  I  was  appalled 
by  the  fearful  respon^ibiUty  of  ha\dng  a  jewel  of  such  fabu- 
lous value  on  the  premises  —  with  people  constantly  coming 
in  and  going  out  —  and  determined,  therefore,  to  take  it 
home  and  do  the  repairs  m3^self.  I  informed  the  Ranee's 
major  demo  of  that  resolution,  and  demanded  of  him  a  guard 
of  the  Ranee's  own  attendants  to  accompany  me  on  the 
journey  and  to  keep  watch  over  my  house  until  he  should 
come  in  person  to  receive  the  necklace  to-day. 

"He  accorded  me  this  w^ilHngly;  departed  —  still  retain- 
ing possession  of  the  jewel,  for  I  would  not  have  it  left  with 
me  at  any  cost  —  returned  with  the  guard  an  hour  later, 
handed  me  the  case  containing  the  necklace,  and  I  left  for 
home  a  few  minutes  after  five  —  and  the  Hindu  guard  with 
me.     On  arriving " 

"One  moment,  please,"  interposed  Cleek.  "Did  you 
examine  the  case  to  see  if  the  Ladder  of  Light  was  still  there 
before  you  started?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Cleek.  I  have  no  very  great  faith  in  Hindus 
at  any  time,  so  you  may  be  sure  I  took  that  precaution  the 
instant  the  man  placed  the  case  in  my  hands.  The  neck- 
lace was  there.  I  even  went  further.  Before  leaving  my 
place  of  business  I  submitted  the  stones  to  chemical  test 
to  be  sure  that  no  substitution  had  been  made.  They  were 
absolutely  genuine;  so  that  there  can  be  no  shadow  of 
doubt  that  it  was  the  Ladder  of  Light  itself  I  carried  home 
with  me.  On  arriving  at  my  residence  I  stationed  the  two 
Hindu  guards  at  the  front  gate,  entered  the  house,  and  was 
upon  the  point  of  going  immediately  to  my  study  to  subject 
the  stones  to  yet  another  chemical  test  —  to  make  sure  that 
no  trickery  had  been  practised  upon  me  by  the  Hindus  on 
the  journey  —  when  I  was  unexpectedly  pounced  upon  in 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  195 

the  main  hallway  by  my  son,  Henry,  who  was  in  a  greatly 
excited  state  and  attempted  to  renew  the  subject  of  our 
unpleasant  interview  of  the  day  before." 

Here  Sir  Mawson's  voice  grew  curiously  thick  and  un- 
steady. He  paused  a  moment  as  if  ashamed  to  go  on,  then 
stiffened  himself  and   continued. 

^^Mr.  Cleek,"  he  said,  agitatedly,  '4t  is  necessary  that  I 
should  tell  you,  at  this  point,  something  with  regard  to 
those  who  make  up  the  members  of  my  household." 

^' You  needn't.  I  have  already  heard.  Lady  Leake  is,  I 
believe,  your  second  wife,  and  you  have  two  sons." 

*'No  —  three,"  he  corrected.  ''Henry,  my  eldest,  who  is 
twenty-four  and  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  children  of  my 
first  and  most  unhappy  marriage;  Curzon,  who  is  just 
entering  his  twenty-first  year,  and  Bevis,  who  has  not  yet 
turned  seven,  and  is,  of  course,  still  in  the  nursery.  I  may 
as  well  admit  to  you,  Mr.  Cleek,  that  my  first  marriage  was 
a  failure;  that  it  was  none  of  my  own  choosing,  but  was 
consummated  in  deference  to  the  will  and  wishes  of  my 
parents.  We  were  utterly  unsuited  to  each  other,  my  first 
wife  and  I,  and  it  is,  no  doubt,  only  natural  that  the  son 
she  left  me  when  death  delivered  us  both  from  an  irksome 
bondage  should  reflect  in  himself  some  of  those  points  of 
difference  which  made  our  union  a  mistake. 

"Don't  misunderstand  me,  however.  He  is  very  dear  to 
me  —  dear,  too,  to  his  stepmother,  who  loves  him  as  her 
own,  and  the  one  strong  feature  in  his  character  is  the  love 
he  gives  her  in  return.  Then,  too,  he  is  my  first  born,  my 
heir,  and  no  man  fails  to  love  that  first  child  that  ever 
called  him  father." 

''No  man  could  fail  to  love  this  particular  one  at  all 
events,  Mr.  Cleek,"  put  in  her  ladyship.  "Wild,  reckless, 
extravagant  —  yes!     But  at  heart,  the  dearest  boy!" 

"Just  so!"  interposed  Cleek.  "But  let  us  get  on,  please. 
So  this  '  dearest  boy'  had  an  unpleasant  interview  with  you 


196  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

the  day  before  yesterday,  did  he,  Sir  Mawson?  What  was 
it  about?" 

"The  usual  thing  —  money.  He  is  extravagant  to  the 
point  of  insanity.  I've  paid  his  debts  until  my  patience  is 
quite  worn  out,  hoping  against  hope  that  he  will  reform. 
At  that  interview,  however,  he  asked  for  a  thing  I  would 
not  hsten  to  — ;£^2oo  to  settle  a  gambhng  debt  at  his  club: 
to  take  up  an  I.  O.  U.  that  would  get  him  blacklisted  as  a 
defaulter  if  it  were  not  met.  'Then  get  blacklisted!'  I 
said  to  him,  'if  there's  no  other  way  to  cut  you  off  from  the 
worthless  lot  you  associate  yourself  with.  You'll  not  get 
one  farthing  from  me  to  settle  any  such  disgraceful  thing  as 
a  gambling  debt,  rest  assured  of  that!"  Then  I  walked 
out  of  the  room  and  left  him,  and  that  was  the  last  I  saw 
of  him  until  he  poimced  upon  me  in  the  hall  yesterday  when 
I  was  going  to  my  study  with  the  case  containing  the 
Ranee's  necklace. 

"That  was  the  subject  he  wanted  to  renew.  He'd  been 
to  town,  he  said,  and  had  had  a  talk  with  the  man  to  whom 
he  had  given  the  I.  O.  U.,  'and  dad,  if  you'll  only  do  it 
just  this  once  —  just  this  one  last  once! '  he  was  saying 
when  I  interrupted  him.  'I've  no  time  to  Hsten  now,  and 
no  inclination.  I've  important  business  to  attend  to,'  I 
said,  then  waved  him  aside  and  went  into  the  study  and 
locked  the  door  while  I  attended  to  the  matter  of  applying 
the  acid  test  to  the  diamonds  for  the  second  time. 

"Meanwhile,  he  had  gone  up  to  Lady  Leake's  boudoir 
to  implore  her  to  use  her  influence  with  me,  and  he  was  still 
there  when,  after  the  stones  had  again  answered  to  the  acid 
test,  I  carried  the  necklace  up  there  (to  leave  it  in  her 
charge  for  the  brief  time  it  would  take  me  to  prepare  the 
tools  and  materials  for  the  work  in  hand)  and  told  her  all 
about  it.  But  I  didn't  know  that  at  the  time,  Mr.  Cleek, 
for  he  was  sitting  in  a  deep,  cushioned  armchair  at  the  far 
end  of  the  room,  and  the  tall  back  of  that  chair  was  turned 


'^t\M 

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■^..-;- 

r^^^l 

Cleek  hears  that  the  fabulous  "  Ladder  of  Light"  is  back 
in  London  again 


Young  Mawson  overhears    his  parents  discussing  the  problem  of  the 
lewel.     "  He  is  extravagant  to  the  point  of  insanity,"  said  Sir  Mawson 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  197 

toward  me.  Indeed,  I  hadn't  the  faintest  suspicion  that 
there  was  anybody  but  Lady  Leake  and  myself  in  the  room 
until  he  got  up  suddenly  and  said,  'Dad,  you  aren't  too  busy 
to  listen  now!  Won't  you  let  me  ask  you  what  I  was  going 
to  do  downstairs?     Won't  you,  dad?     Please!' 

"Of  course  he  had  heard  what  I  had  said,  Mr.  Cleek  — 
although  I  never  gave  a  thought  to  that  at  the  time  —  and 
as  Lady  Leake  had,  womanUke,  taken  the  gorgeous  necklace 
out  of  the  case,  held  it  up  to  her  neck  and  was  then  viewing 
herself  in  her  dressing  mirror,  it  followed  that  he  also  saw. 
But  how  could  I  dream  of  there  being  anything  in  that  to 
regret,  and  he  a  son  of  mine?     It  was  only  —  afterward  — ■ 

when  it  came  back  to  my  memory Good  God !  it 

is  too  horrible  to  think  of  even  now,  much  less  to  talk 
about!" 

*' Steady,  steady.  Sir  Mawson!"  sounded  Cleek's  soothing 
voice.  ' '  Brakes  on !  Sidetrack  your  emotions  if  you  can  and 
stick  to  the  mainline!     Well,  what  followed?" 

*'I  have  no  very  clear  recollection,  Mr.  Cleek,  for  just 
then  Lady  Leake  chose  to  add  her  entreaties  to  his,  and  to 
ask  me  if  I  would  permit  her  to  draw  her  next  quarter's  pin 
money  in  advance  and  let  her  take  up  the  I.  O.  U.  for  him. 
But  I  was  so  furious  at  the  thought  of  his  skulking  in  like  a 
beggar  and  a  cad,  and  trying  to  'bleed'  her,  that  I  flew  into 
a  violent  rage,  ordered  him  out  of  the  room  instantly,  and 
forbade  his  stepmother  to  lend  or  give  him  one  farthing 
either  then  or  at  any  time  thereafter.  'There  v/ill  be  no 
gambler's  I.  0.  U.'s  taken  up  for  you  by  anybody  in  this 
house,'  I  flung  at  him.  'If  you  are  in  debt,  get  out  of  it  in 
your  own  way  and  as  best  you  can!' 

"I  think  that  even  then  I  was  conscious  of  a  sense  of 
gratification  at  the  way  he  took  that  ultimatum,  Mr.  Cleek, 
for  instead  of  whining  like  a  whipped  cur,  he  pulled  himself 
up  straight  and  strong,  clicked  his  heels  together,  and  said 
very  quietly,   'All  right,  sir,  I'll  take  you  at  your  word. 


198      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Thank  you  for  past  favours.  Good-bye ! '  and  then  walked 
out  of  the  room.  That  was  the  last  I  have  seen  or  heard  of 
him." 

"H'm!    Leave  the  house,  did  he?" 

''Yes  —  but  not  then.  That  was  a  few  minutes  before 
seven.  A  servant  saw  him  on  the  top  landing  coming  out 
of  his  own  room  with  something  wrapped  up  in  a  parcel, 
after  that.  And  another,  who  was  busy  cleaning  up  in  the 
lower  hall,  saw  him  come  down  and  go  out  at  ten  minutes 
past." 

''And  in  the  meantime,  the  Ladder  of  Light  had  van- 
ished?" 

"Yes.  After  Henry  had  left  the  boudoir  I  had  a  few 
minutes'  heated  argiunent  with  Lady  Leake;  then,  remem- 
bering the  work  I  had  in  hand,  I  left  the  necklace  in  her 
charge  and  hurried  away  to  rig  up  a  temporary  workshop. 
It  was  about  twenty  minutes  past  seven  when  I  finished 
doing  that,  and  went  back  to  Lady  Leake's  boudoir  to  get 
the  jewel.  I  found  her  in  a  state  of  the  wildest  excitement, 
flying  about  the  room  like  an  insane  woman  and  searching 
everywhere.  The  necklace  was  gone !  Only  for  one  single 
minute  of  time  had  it  been  out  of  her  sight,  yet  in  that 
minute  it  had  vanished,  utterly  and  completely,  and  there 
was  not  a  trace  of  it  to  be  found  anywhere." 

"H'm!    Just  so!     Case  gone,  too,  Sir  Mawson?" 

"No!  That  was  still  there,  lying  on  her  dressing-table, 
but  it  was  empty." 

"I  see.  So,  then,  it  could  not  have  been  that  that  was 
wrapped  up  in  the  parcel  your  son  was  seen  carrying.  Any- 
body in  that  room  after  Sir  Mawson  left  you,  your  lady- 
ship?" 

"Not  a  living  soul,  Mr.  Cleek." 

"Could  no  one  have  stolen  it  without  your  knowledge?" 

"That  would  be  impossible.  I  locked  the  door  the  in- 
stant Sir  Mawson  left  me." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  199 

*'Ah,  then,  of  course!  Another  question,  please.  Sir 
Mawson  has  spoken  of  there  being  *one  single  minute'  when 
the  necklace  was  not  directly  under  your  eyes.  When  was 
that?" 

'^When  I  left  the  room,  Mr.  Cleek." 

*'Oho!     Then  you  did  leave  it,  eh?" 

*'Yes.  It  was  thoughtless  of  me,  of  course;  but  I  only 
ran  down  to  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  when  I  remembered, 
and  ran  back  in  a  perfect  panic.  Still  I  had  locked  the 
door  in  going  out  even  then  and  the  key  was  in  my  hand. 
It  was  still  locked  when  I  returned,  but  in  that  one  single 
minute  the  necklace  had  disappeared.  I  was  gratifying  my 
woman's  vanity  by  holding  it  up  to  my  throat  and  viewing 
myself  in  the  glass  just  an  instant  before,  and  I  remember 
perfectly,  laying  it  down  on  the  velvet  lining  of  its  open  case 
at  the  time  I  recollected  the  matter  which  caused  me  to 
leave  the  room." 

*^May  I  ask  what  that  matter  was?" 

'^Yes.  A  service  I  had  promised  to  perform  for  Miss 
Eastman." 

''Miss  Eastman?     Who  is  she?" 

''  My  son's  fiancee.  She  and  her  father  are  visiting  us  at 
present.  Curzon  met  and  became  engaged  to  Miss  East- 
man on  the  occasion  of  her  last  visit  to  England,  and  this 
time  her  father  is  accompanying  her." 

''Her  last  visit?  Then  the  lady  and  her  father  are  not 
JSnghsh?" 

"Oh,  dear,  no  —  Americans.  They  came  over  less  than 
a  week  ago.  Pardon?  No,  I  do  not  at  the  moment  recall 
the  name  of  the  vessel,  Mr.  Cleek,  but  whichever  one  it  was 
it  seems  to  have  been  a  very  ill-conditioned  affair  and  gave 
them  a  very  bad  crossing,  indeed.  That  is  why  I  had  to 
render  Miss  Eastnlan  the  service  of  which  I  spoke  —  the 
sudden  recollection  of  which  caused  me  to  lay  down  the 
necklace  and  hurry  from  the  room.     I  had  forgotten  all 


200      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

about  it  until  I  happened  to  see  the  roll  of  Knt  on  my  dress- 
ing-table." 

'^Lint,  Lady  Leake?  What  on  earth  had  lint  to  do  with 
the  matter?" 

^'1  had  bought  it  for  Miss  Eastman  when  I  was  in  town 
this  m_orning.  She  asked  me  to,  as  she  had  used  her  last 
clean  bandage  yesterday.  She  had  a  very  bad  fall  on  ship- 
board, Mr.  Cleek,  and  injured  her  left  hand  severely!" 

Narkom  made  a  curious  sort  of  gulping  sound,  whipped 
out  his  handkerchief  and  began  to  dab  his  bald  spot,  and 
looked  round  at  Cleek  out  of  the  tail  of  liis  eye.  But 
Cleek  neither  moved  nor  spoke  nor  made  any  sign  —  merely 
pushed  his  lower  lip  out  over  his  upper  one  and  stood  frown- 
ing at  the  stable  door. 

And  here  —  just  here  —  a  strange  and  even  startling 
thing  occurred.  With  just  one  hoarse  ''Toot-toot I"  to 
give  warning  of  its  coming,  a  pubHc  taxi  swung  round  the 
curve  of  the  road,  jerked  itself  up  to  a  sudden  standstill 
within  a  rope's  cast  of  the  spot  where  the  four  were  stand- 
ing, and  unmediately  there  rang  forth  a  rolhcking,  happy 
youthful  voice  cr^dng  out,  as  the  owner  of  it  stood  up  and 
touched  an  upright  forefinger  to  his  numbered  cap,  in  jolly 
mimxicry  of  the  Hanson  cabman  of  other  days:  "Keb,  sir? 
Keb,  mum?  Keb!  Keb!"  and  hard  on  the  heels  of  that 
flung  out  a  laughing,  ''Hullo,  mater?  Hullo,  dad?  you 
dear  old  Thunder  Box!  I  say!  'How  does  this  sort  of  thing 
get  you?'  as  Katie  Eastman  says.  Buttons  all  over  me, 
like  a  blooming  Bobby !     What?  " 

And  it  needed  no  more  than  that  to  assure  Cleek  and 
Mr.  Narkom  that  in  the  bright-eyed,  bonny-faced,  laughing 
young  fellow  who  jumped  down  from  the  driver's  seat  at 
this,  and  stood  up  straight  and  strong,  and  displayed  his 
taxicabman's  livery  unabashed  and  unashamed,  they  were 
looking  upon  Sir  Mawson  Leake's  eldest  son  and  —  heir! 

"Henry!"     The  voice  was  Lady  Leake's,  and  there  was 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      201 

pain  and  surprise  and  joy  and  terror  all  jumbled  up  in  it 
curiously,  as  she  ran  to  him.     "Henry!     Is  it  really  you?'''* 

" ' Sure  tiling! '  —  to  quote  Katie  again.  Just  took  a  spin 
over  to  show  myself  off.  Plenty  of  brass  trimmings! 
What?  I  thought,  dad,  you'd  Hke  to  be  sure  that  I  really 
am  done  with  the  clubs  at  last.  Not  because  they  black- 
listed me  —  for  they  didn't  —  but  because  —  oh  well,  you 
know.  No  taxicabmen  need  apply  —  that  sort  of  thing. 
I'll  be  invited  to  resign  from  every  blessed  one  of  them  to- 
morrow, and  there's  not  a  chap  connected  with  any  one  of 
'em  who'd  be  seen  taking  a  match  from  me  to  light  his 
cigarette  with  after  this.  All  the  same,  though,  I  go  out 
of  them  with  a  clean  slate,  and  that's  all  I  cared  about.  I 
did  get  that  two  hundred  after  all,  pater.  Curzon  and 
Katie  raised  it  for  me  between  them  —  out  of  their  own  priv- 
ate accounts,  you  know  —  and  as  driving  a  car  is  the  only 
thing  I  really  do  understand,  I'm  earning  the  money  to  pay 
them  back  this  way." 

''That's  the  stuff,  by  Jupiter !  That's  the  stuff ! "  rapped 
out  Cleek,  impulsively.  ''You  ought  to  have  known  from 
the  first.  Sir  Mawson,  that  they  don't  make  thieves  of  this 
sort  of  material?" 

*' Thieves?  What  do  you  mean  by  thieves?  And  who 
the  dickens  are  you,  anyway?  I  say,  dad,  who's  this 
Johnnie?  What's  he  driving  at?  What  does  he  mean  by 
talking  about  thieves?" 

"The  necklace  —  the  Ranee's  necklace!  The  Ladder  of 
Light!"  bleated  Sir  Mawson  feebly.  "It  is  gone!  It  is 
lost!  It  went  when  you  went.  There  has  been  no  trace 
of  it  since."  Then  he  joined  Lady  Leake,  and  plucked  at 
the  boy's  sleeve,  and  between  them  out  came  the  whole 
miserable  story. 

"And  you  think  that  I  stole  it?  You  dare  to  think 
that?"  flung  out  his  son,  jerking  back  from  him  and  brush- 
ing aside  Lady  Leake's  solicitous  hand.     "Very  well,  then, 


202  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

think  what  you  jolly  well  please !  I'm  done  with  the  lot  of 
you!" 

And  after  that  —  the  Deluge !  Speaking,  he  turned  on 
his  heel  and  rushed  back  to  his  taxi,  wrenched  open  its 
door,  revealing  what  none  of  them  had  suspected  before, 
because  of  the  drawn  curtains:  that  the  vehicle  was  occupied 

—  and  sang  out  in  a  fine  fury,  ''Pull  up  the  blinds,  Curz. 
Come  out,  old  chap.     Come  out,  Major!     Come  out,  Katie 

—  all  of  you  —  at  once!  There  isn't  going  to  be  any  'jolly 
lark,'  any  'pleasant  surprise,'  any  ^killing  of  the  fatted  calf.' 
This  isn't  a  comedy  — it's  a  tragedy!  Hop  out  Hvely — 
the  lot  of  you!  I'm  done  with  my  father,  and  I've  got  to 
get  back  to  my  place  in  the  ranks  as  fast  as  I  can  fly.  I'll 
pay  you  back,  Katie.  I'll  pay  you  back,  Curz,  old  chap! 
Yes,  by  God!  I  will  if  I  drive  this  thing  night  and  day  with- 
out sleeping!" 

Then  came  a  sudden  banging  of  the  taxi's  door,  a  hoot 
from  the  horn  as  he  jumped  back  to  his  seat  and  sounded  a 
warning  note,  and  in  the  winking  of  an  eye  he  was  off  and 
away,  and  there  in  the  road  stood  a  stout,  pleasant-faced 
old  gentleman,  a  youth  with  a  budding  moustache,  and  a 
bright-faced,  fairylike  httle  lady  of  about  eighteen,  all  three 
of  whom  were  standing  stock  still  and  starmg  after  the  van- 
ishing taxi  in  the  blankest  of  blank  amazement.  Of  a 
sudden,  however: 

"My  goodness,  popper,  I  guess  Curzon  and  I  have  sort 
of  muffed  it  somehow!"  the  little  lady  said,  forlornly. 

"I  guess  you  have,  honey  —  I  guess  you  have.  Any- 
how, something's  gone  bust,  that's  a  sure  thing!  Let's  go 
and  ask  Sir  Mawson  what  it's  all  about." 

"Yes,  let  us  by  all  means,"  put  in  the  younger  man. 
"Come  on!" 

Mr.  Narkom,  who  heard  these  things,  drew  closer  to 
Cleek,  looked  up  at  him  anxiously,  and  contrived  to  whisper 
an  inquiry  which  fell  only  upon  his  ally's  ears. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      203 

"Found  out  anything,  old  chap?" 

"Yes.  From  their  words  it  is  clear  that  Sir  Mawson  has 
taken  nobody  in  the  house  —  even  his  son,  Curzon  —  into 
his  confidence  regarding  the  lost  necklace." 

"I  don't  mean  that  —  I'm  alluding  to  the  others. 
Found  out  anything  about  them?^' 

"Yes,  and  a  very  important  thing,  too:  They  are  not 
Diamond  Nick  and  Dutch  Ella.  Not  in  the  least  like  them, 
neither  are  they  disguised.  Also,  Miss  Eastman's  injury 
is  only  a  sprained  wrist,  it  appears.  You  observe  she  does 
not  even  attempt  to  cover  the  back  of  her  hand.  I'm 
afraid,  Mr.  Narkom,  you've  been  barking  up  the  wrong 
tree." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

BY  THIS  time  the  major,  his  daughter,  and  young  Cur- 
zon  Leake,  full  of  deep  and  earnest  soHcitude  for  the 
long-erring  Henry,  and  fairly  bristling  with  questions  and 
entreaties,  had  crossed  the  intervening  space  and  were  at 
Sir  Mawson's  side;  but  as  the  details  of  what  was  said  and 
done  for  the  next  ten  minutes  have  no  bearing  upon  the  case 
in  hand,  they  may  well  be  omitted  from  these  records.  Suf- 
fice it  then,  that,  on  the  plea  of  ''having  some  very  impor- 
tant business  with  these  gentlemen,  which  \\'ill  not  permxit 
of  another  moment's  delay,"  and  promising  to  ''discuss  the 
other  matter  later  on,"  Sir  Mawson  managed  to  get  rid  of 
them,  with  the  story  of  the  lost  necklace  still  unconfessed, 
and  was  again  free  to  return  to  the  subject  in  hand. 

"Of  course,  I  can  understand  your  reluctance,  with  those 
Indian  chaps  about,  to  take  anybody  into  your  confidence 
regarding  the  loss  of  the  jewel,  Sir  Mawson,"  said  Cleek,  as 
soon  as  the  others  were  well  out  of  hearing;  "but  sometimes 
a  poHcy  of  silence  is  wise,  and  sometimes  it  is  a  mistake. 
For  instance:  if  any  of  a  man's  servants  should  know  of  a 
circumstance  which  might  have  a  bearing  upon. a  robbery 
they  are  not  likely  to  mention  it  if  they  don't  even  know 
that  a  robbery  has  been  committed.  However,  we  shall 
know  more  about  that  after  I've  been  over  the  ground  and 
poked  about  a  bit.  So,  if  you  and  her  ladyship  will  be  so 
kind,  I  should  like  to  have  a  look  indoors,  particularly  in 
Lady  Leake's  boudoir,  as  soon  as  possible." 

Upon  what  trivial  circumstances  do  great  events  some- 
times hinge  1     Speaking,  he  turned  toward  the  curv^e  of  the 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  205 

road  to  go  back  to  the  guarded  gates  of  the  house  which  he 
had  so  recently  passed,  when  Lady  Leake's  hand  plucked 
nervously  at  his  sleeve. 

''Not  that  way!  Not  for  worlds,  with  those  Hindus  on 
the  watch!"  she  exclaimed  agitatedly.  ^'Heaven  knows 
what  they  might  suspect,  what  word  they  might  send  to  the 
Ranee's  steward,  if  they  saw  us  returning  to  the  house  with- 
out having  seen  us  leave  it.  Come!  there  is  another  and  a 
safer  way.  Through  the  grounds  and  round  to  the  door  of 
the  music  room,  at  the  back  of  the  building.     Follow  me." 

They  followed  forthwith,  and  in  another  moment  were 
taking  that  "other  way"  with  her,  pushing  thxrough  a  thick 
plantation,  crossing  a  kitchen  garden,  cutting  through  an 
orchard,  and  walking  rapidly  along  an  arboured  path,  until 
they  came  at  last  to  the  final  obstacle  of  all  —  a  large  rock 
garden  —  which  barred  their  progress  to  the  smooth,  close- 
cHpped  lawn  at  whose  far  end  the  house  itself  stood.  This 
rock  garden,  it  was  plain  from  the  course  she  was  taking,  it 
was  Lady  Leake's  intention  to  skirt,  but  Cleek,  noting  that 
there  was  a  path  running  through  the  middle  of  it,  pointed 
out  that  fact. 

"One  moment!"  he  said.  "As  time  is  of  importance, 
would  not  this  be  the  shorter  and  the  quicker  way?" 

"Yes,"  she  gave  back,  without,  however,  stopping  in  her 
progress  around  the  tall  rocks  which  formed  its  boundary. 
*'But  if  we  took  it  we  should  be  sure  to  meet  Bevis.  That 
is  his  especial  playground,  you  know,  and  if  he  were  to  see 
his  father  and  me  we  shouldn't  be  able  to  get  rid  of  him 
again.  No!  Don't  misunderstand,  Mr.  Cleek.  I  am  not 
one  of  those  mothers  who  find  their  children  a  nuisance  in 
their  nursery  stage.  Bevis  is  the  dearest  little  man!  But 
he  is  so  full  of  pranks,  so  full  of  questions,  so  full  of  life  and 
high  spirits  —  and  I  couldn't  stand  that  this  morning.  Be- 
sides, he  has  no  one  to  play  with  him  to-day.  This  is  Miss 
Miniver's  half  holiday.    Pardon?    Yes  —  his  nursery  gov- 


^06  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

erness.  She  won't  be  back  until  three.  I  only  hope  he  will 
stay  in  the  rock  garden  and  amuse  himself  with  his  pirates* 
cave  until  then." 

''His " 

"Pirates'  cave.  Miss  Miniver  took  him  to  a  moving- 
picture  show  one  day.  He  saw  one  there  and  nothing  would 
do  him  but  his  father  must  let  him  have  one  for  himself ;  so 
the  gardeners  made  one  for  him  in  the  rock  garden  and  he 
amuses  himself  by  going  out  on  what  he  calls  'treasure 
raids'  and  carries  his  spoils  in  there." 

"His  spoils,  eh?  H'm!  I  see!  Pardon  me,  Lady  Leake, 
but  do  you  think  it  is  possible  that  this  affair  we  are  on  may 
be  only  a  wild  goose  chase  after  all?  In  other  words,  that, 
not  knowing  the  value  of  the  Ranee's  necklace,  your  Uttle 
son  may  have  made  that  a  part  of  his  spoils  and  carried  it 
off  to  his  pirates'  cave?" 

"No,  Mr.  Cleek,  I  do  not.  Such  a  thing  is  utterly  impos- 
sible. For  one  thing,  the  boudoir  door  was  locked,  remem- 
ber; and,  for  another,  Bevis  had  been  bathed  and  put  to  bed 
before  the  necklace  was  lost.  He  could  not  have  got  up  and 
left  his  room,  as  Miss  Miniver  sat  with  him  until  he  fell 
asleep." 

"H'm!"  commented  Cleek.  "So  that's  'barking  up  the 
wrong  tree'  for  a  second  time.  Still,  of  course,  the  necklace 
couldn't  have  vanished  of  its  own  accord.  Hum-m-m! 
Just  so!  Another  question,  your  ladyship:  You  spoke  of 
running  down  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  with  the  Hnt  for  Miss 
Eastman  and  running  back  in  a  panic  when  you  remembered 
the  necklace.  How,  then,  did  you  get  the  Hnt  to  Miss  East- 
man, after  all?" 

"I  sent  it  to  her  with  apologies  for  not  being  able  to  do 
the  bandaging  for  her." 

"  Sent  it  to  her,  your  ladyship?    By  whom?  " 

"Jennifer  —  one  of  the  servants." 

"Ohol"  said  Cleek,  in  two  different  tones.     "So  then  you 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  207 

did  unlock  the  door  of  your  boudoir  for  a  second  time,  and 
somebody  other  than  Sir  Mawson  and  your  stepson  did  see 
the  inside  of  the  room,  eh?" 

"Your  pardon,  Mr.  Cleek,  but  you  are  wrong  in  both 
surmises.  Jennifer  was  the  servant  who  was  working  in 
the  lower  hall  at  the  time  —  the  one  who  says  he  saw  Henry 
leave  the  house  at  ten  minutes  past  seven.  The  instant  I 
reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and  thought  of  the  necklace, 
I  called  Jennifer  to  me,  gave  him  the  lint  with  orders  to  take 
it  at  once  to  Miss  Eastman's  maid  with  the  message  men- 
tioned, and  then  turned  round  and  ran  back  to  my  boudoir 
immediately." 

'^H'm!  I  see.  I  suppose,  your  ladyship,  it  isn't  pos- 
sible that  this  man  Jennifer  might,  in  going  to  carry  that 
message But  no!  I  recollect:  the  door  of  your  bou- 
doir was  locked.  So  even  if  he  had  managed  to  outstrip 
you  by  going  up  another  staircase " 

''Oh,  I  see  what  you  mean! "  she  declared,  as  they  reached 
the  edge  of  the  lawn  and  set  out  across  it.  *'  But,  Mr.  Cleek, 
such  a  thing  would  not  bear  even  hinting  at,  so  far  as  Jen- 
nifer is  concerned.  He  is  the  soul  of  honesty,  for  one  thing; 
and,  for  another,  he  couldn't  have  outstripped  me,  as  you 
put  it,  had  I  returned  at  a  snail's  pace.  He  is  very  old, 
and  near-sighted.  There!  look!  That  is  he,  over  there, 
sweeping  the  leaves  off  the  terrace.  You  can  see  for  your- 
self how  impossible  it  would  be  for  him  to  run  upstairs." 

Cleek  did  see.  Looking  in  the  direction  indicated,  he 
saw  an  elderly  man  employed  as  stated,  whpse  back  was 
bowed,  and  whose  limping  gait  betokened  an  injury  which 
had  left  him  hopelessly  lame. 

*'His  leg  had  to  be  amputated  as  the  result  of  being  run 
over  by  an  omnibus  in  the  streets  of  London,"  explained 
her  ladyship,  "and,  in  consequence,  he  wears  a  wooden  one. 
He  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  family  for  more  than  forty 
years.     Originally  he  was  a  gardener,  and,  after  his  accident, 


208      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Sir  Mawson  was  for  pensioning  him  off  so  that  he  could  end 
his  days  in  quiet  and  comfort.  But  he  quite  broke  down 
at  the  thought  of  leaving  the  old  place,  and  as  he  wouldn't 
listen  to  such  a  thing  as  being  paid  for  doing  nothing,  we 
humoured  his  whim  and  let  him  stay  on  as  a  sort  of  handy 
man.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  Bevis,  little  rogue,  takes  ad- 
vantage of  his  inability  to  run,  and  plays  no  end  of  pranks 
upon  him.  But  he  adores  the  boy,  and  never  complains." 
Cleek,  who  had  been  studying  the  man  fixedly  with  his 
narrowed  eyes  —  and  remembering  what  had  been  said  of 
Diamond  Nick's  skill  at  impersonation,  the  while  they  were 
crossing  the  lawn  — ■  here  twitched  his  head,  as  if  casting  off 

■  a  thought  which  annoyed  him,  and  turned  a  bland  look  upon 

,  Lady  Leake. 

''One  last  question,  your  ladyship,"  he  said.  "I  think 
you  said  that  Jennifer  was  cleaning  the  hall  at  the  time  your 
stepson  left  the  house;  and,  as,  presumably,  you  wouldn't 

[  overwork  a  crippled  old  chap  like  that,  how  happened  it 

'  that  he  was  still  at  his  labours  at  ten  minutes  past  seven 
o  'clock  in  the  evening?     That's  rather  late  to  be  cleaning 

,  up  a  hall,  isn't  it?  " 

"Yes,  much  too  late,"  she  acknowledged.  "But  it 
couldn't  be  helped  in  the  present  instance.  The  gasfitters 
didn't  finish  their  work  as  early  as  we  had  hoped,  and  as 
he  couldn't  begin  until  they  had  finished,  he  was  delayed 
in  starting." 

"The  gasfitters,  eh?  Oho!  So  you  had  those  chaps  in 
the  house  yesterday,  did  you?" 

"Yes.  There  had  been  an  unpleasant  leakage  of  gas  in 
both  the  music  room  and  the  main  hall,  for  two  or  three 
days,  and  as  the  men  had  to  take  down  the  fixtures  to  get 
to  the  seat  of  the  trouble,  Jennifer  improved  the  opportun- 
ity to  give  the  chandelier  and  the  brackets  a  thorough  clean- 
ing, since  he  couldn't  of  course  start  to  clear  up  the  mess  the 
workmen  made  until  after  they  had  finished  and  gone. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YAED  209 

But  —  Mr.  Cleek !  They  couldn't  have  had  anything  to  do 
with  the  affair,  for  they  left  the  house  at  least  ten  minutes 

before  the  Ladder  of  Light  came  into  it.     So,  naturally • 

This  is  the  door  of  the  music  room,  gentlemen.  Come  in, 
please." 

The  invitation  was  accepted  at  once,  and  in  another  half 
minute  Cleek  and  Mr.  Narkom  foimd  themselves  standing 
in  a  wonderful  white-and-gold  room,  imder  a  huge  crystal 
chandeHer  of  silver  and  cut  glass,  and  looking  out  through  an 
arched  opening,  hung  with  sulphur-coloured  draperies,  into 
a  sort  of  baronial  hall  equipped  with  armour  and  tapestries, 
and  broad  enough  to  drive  a  coach  through  without  danger 
to  its  contents. 

From  this  hall,  as  they  discovered,  when  Lady  Leake  led 
them  without  delay  toward  the  scene  of  the  necklace's  mys- 
terious vanishment,  a  broad,  short  flight  of  richly  carpeted 
stairs  led  to  a  square  landing,  and  thence  another  and  a 
longer  flight,  striking  off  at  right  angles,  communicated  with 
the  passage  upon  which  her  ladyship's  boudoir  opened. 

*'It  was  here  that  I  stood,  Mr.  Cleek,  when  I  recollected 
about  the  necklace  as  I  called  Jennifer  to  me,"  she  ex- 
plained, pausing  on  the  landing  at  the  foot  of  this  latter 
flight  of  stairs  just  long  enough  to  let  him  note,  over  the 
broad  rail  of  the  banister,  that  the  great  hall  was  clearly 
visible  below.  *'He  was  there,  just  under  you,  drying  the 
globes  of  the  music-room  chandeHer  when  I  called  to  him. 
Now  come  this  way,  please,  and  you  will  see  how  impossible 
it  is  for  any  one  to  have  entered  and  left  the  boudoir  during 
my  brief  absence  without  my  seeing  or  hearing." 

It  was;  for  the  door  of  the  boudoir,  which  was  entirely 
detached  from  the  rest  of  the  suite  occupied  by  herself  and 
her  husband,  was  inmiediately  opposite  the  head  of  the 
staircase  and  clearly  visible  from  the  landing  at  its  foot. 

She  unlocked  this  one  soHtary  door,  and  let  them  see  that 
the  only  other  means  of  possibly  entering  the  room  was  by 


210  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

way  of  a  large  overhanging  bay  window  overlooking  the 
grounds.  But  this  was  a  good  twenty  feet  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  and  there  was  not  a  vine  nor  a  tree  within 
yards  and  yards  of  it,  and  as  the  space  beneath  was  so  large 
and  clear  that  no  one  could  have  manipulated  a  ladder  with- 
out the  certainty  of  discovery,  Cleek  saw  at  a  glance  that 
the  window  might  be  dismissed  at  once  as  a  possible  point 
of  entry. 

Nor  did  anything  else  about  the  room  offer  a  hint  more 
promising.  All  that  he  saw  was  just  what  one  might  have 
expected  to  see  in  such  a  place  under  such  circumstances  as 
these. 

On  the  dressing-table,  surrounded  by  a  litter  of  silver  and 
cut-glass  toilet  articles,  lay  the  case  which  had  once  con- 
tained the  famous  necklace,  wide  open  and  empty.  Over 
the  back  of  a  chair  —  as  if  it  had  been  thrown  there  under 
the  stress  of  haste  and  great  excitement  —  hung  a  negligee 
of  flowered  white  silk  trimmed  with  cascades  of  rich  lace, 
and  across  a  sofa  at  the  far  end  of  the  room,  a  dinner  gown  of 
gray  satin  was  carefully  spread  out,  with  a  pair  of  gray  silk 
stockings  and  gray  satin  slippers  lying  beside  it. 

"Everything  is  exactly  as  it  w^as,  Mr.  Cleek,  at  the  time 
the  necklace  disappeared,"  explained  her  ladyship,  not- 
ing the  manner  in  which  his  glances  w^ent  flickering  about 
the  room,  skimming  the  surface  of  all  things  but  setthng 
on  none.     '"'Everything,  that  is,  but  that  neghgee  there." 

"Wasn't  that  in  the  room,  then?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  but  it  wasn't  on  the  chair;  it  was  on  me.  I  had 
come  up  to  dress  for  dinner  a  short  time  before  Henry  made* 
his  appearance  —  indeed,  I  had  only  just  taken  off  my  street 
costume  and  started  to  dress  when  he  rapped  at  the  door 
and  implored  me  to  let  him  com^e  in  and  speak  to  me  for  a 
minute  or  two.  'For  God's  sake,  mater!'  was  the  way  he 
put  it,  and  as  haste  seemed  to  be  of  vital  importance,  I 
slipped  on  my  negligee  and  let  him  in  as  quickly  as  I  could. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  211 

Afterward,  when  Sir  Mawson  came  in  with  the  wonderful 
necklace " 

She  stopped  abruptly,  and  her  voice  seemed  to  die  away 
in  her  throat;  and  when  she  spoke  again  it  was  in  a  sort  of 
panic. 

"Mr.  Cleek ! "  she  cried,  " Mr.  Cleek!  What  is  it?  What's 
the  matter?  Good  heavens,  Mawson,  has  the  man  gone 
out  of  his  mind?  " 

In  the  circumstances  the  question  was  an  excusable  one. 
A  moment  before,  she  had  seen  Cleek  walk  in  the  most 
casual  manner  to  the  chair  where  the  lace-clouded  neghgee 
hung,  had  seen  him  pick  it  up  to  look  at  the  chair  seat 
under  it,  and  was  collectedly  proceeding  with  the  account 
of  the  events  of  yesterday,  when,  without  hint  or  warning, 
he  suddenly  yapped  out  a  sound  that  was  curiously  like  a 
dog  that  had  mastered  the  trick  of  human  laughter,  flung 
the  negligee  from  him,  dropped  on  his  knees,  and  was  now 
careering  round  the  room  like  a  terrier  endeavouring  to 
pick  up  a  lost  scent  —  pushing  aside  tables,  throwing  over 
chairs,  and  yapping,  yapping. 

"Cleek,  old  chap!"  It  was  Narkom  that  spoke,  and  the 
hard,  thick  hanamering  of  his  heart  made  his  voice  shake. 
"Good  lud,  man!  in  the  name  of  all  that's  wonderful " 

"Let  me  alone!"  he  bit  in,  irritably.  "Of  all  the  asses! 
Of  all  the  blind,  mutton-headed  idiots!"  then  laughed  that 
curious,  uncanny  laugh  again,  scrambled  to  his  feet  and 
made  a  headlong  bolt  for  the  door.  "Wait  for  me  —  all 
of  you  —  in  the  music  room,"  he  threw  back  from  the  thres- 
hold. "Don't  stir  from  it  until  I  come.  I  want  that  fellow 
Jennifer!    I  want  him  at  oncef^' 

And  here,  turning  sharply  on  his  heel  with  yet  another 
yapping  sound,  he  bolted  across  the  passage,  ran  down  the 
staircase  like  an  escaping  thief,  and  by  the  time  the  others 
could  lock  up  the  boudoir  and  get  down  to  the  music  room, 
there  wasn't  a  trace  of  him  anywhere. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

IT  WAS  a  full  haK  hour  later,  and  Sir  Mawson  and  Lady 
Leake  and  Mr.  Maverick  Narkom  were  in  the  throes  of 
the  most  maddening  suspense,  when  the  door  of  the  music 
room  flashed  open  and  flashed  shut  again,  and  Cleek  stood 
before  them  once  more  —  quite  alone  still,  but  with  that 
curious  crooked  smile  which  to  Narkom  stood  for  so  much, 
looping  up  the  corner  of  his  mouth  and  mutely  foreshadow- 
ing the  riddle's  spectacular  end. 

''Cleek,  dear  chap!"  The  superintendent's  voice  was 
sharp  and  thin  with  excitement.  *'  You've  found  out  some- 
thing, then?" 

^'I  hope,  Mr.  Narkom,  I  have  found  out  everything,"  he 
rephed  with  a  marked  emphasis  on  the  word  hope.  "But 
as  we  are  told  when  in  doubt  or  in  difficulty  to  'look  above' 
for  a  way  out,  permit  me  to  follow  that  advice  before  pro- 
ceeding any  further  with  the  subject." 

Here  he  stepped  to  the  centre  of  the  room,  twitched  back 
his  head,  and,  with  chin  upslanted  and  eyes  directed  toward 
the  ceiling,  moved  slowly  roimd  in  a  narrow  circle  for  a 
moment  or  two. 

But  of  a  sudden  he  came  to  a  sharp  standstill,  rapped  out 
a  short,  queer  Httle  laugh,  and,  altering  these  mysterious 
tactics,  looked  down  and  across  the  room  at  Sir  Mawson 
Leake. 

"I  think  the  Ranee  did  not  look  to  the  security  of  those 
slim  gold  Knks  a  day  too  soon.  Sir  Mawson,"  he  said.  "It 
is  too  much  to  ask  a  man  to  risk  his  whole  fortune  on  the 
tenacity  of  a  bit  of  age-worn  wire  as  you  have  done,  and  if 

212 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  213 

I  were  in  your  shoes  I'd  tell  the  old  girl's  major  domo  when 
he  comes  for  the  necklace,  to  get  it  repaired  somewhere  else 
—  and  be  dashed  to  him." 

''Good!  Wouldn't  I,  in  a  twinkling,  if  I  could  only  lay 
hands  on  the  wretched  thing  again.  But  I  haven't  it,  as 
you  know." 

''Quite  true.  But  you  are  going  to  have  it  —  presently. 
I  know  where  it  is!" 

"Mr.  Cleek!" 

"Gently,  gently,  my  friends.  Don't  go  quite  off  your 
heads  with  excitement.     I  repeat,  I  know  where  it  is.     I 

have  f oimd  it  and Mr.  Narkom !    Look  sharp !    A 

chair  for  Lady  Leake  —  she's  tottering.  Steady,  steady, 
your  ladyship;  it  will  only  compHcate  matters  to  lose  a  grip 
on  yourself  now;  and  you  have  kept  up  so  brave  a  front  all 
through,  it  would  be  a  pity  to  break  down  at  the  end." 

"I  am  not  breaking  down.  I  am  quite  all  right.  Please 
go  on,  Mr.  Cleek  —  please  do.  I  can  stand  anything 
better  than  this.  Are  you  sure  you  have  found  it?  Are 
you  sure?^^ 

"Absolutely.  I  have  had  a  nice  little  talk  with  old 
Jennifer,  and  a  very  satisfactory  visit  to  Master  Bevis 

Leake's    interesting    'pirates'    cave'    and Gently, 

gently.  Sir  Mawson;  gently,  all  of  you.  Don't  jump  to 
conclusions  too  quickly.  No,  your  ladyship,  I  did  not  find 
the  necklace  in  that  cave,  and  for  the  simple  reason  that  it 
is  not  and  never  has  been  there  —  in  short,  neither  your 
son  Bevis  nor  the  servant,  Jennifer,  has  the  least  idea  in  the 
world  where  it  is.  I  have,  however,  and  if  in  return  for 
handing  it  over  to  him.  Sir  Mawson  will  give  me  his  promise 
to  take  that  boy,  Henry,  back  and  give  him  another  chance, 
he  shall  have  it  in  his  hands  ten  seconds  afterward." 

"  I  promise !  I  promise !  I  promise ! "  broke  in  Sir  Maw- 
son, almost  shouting  in  his  excitement.  "I  give  you  my 
word,  Mr.  Cleek,  I  give  you  my  solemn  oath." 


214  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

f  Right  you  are,"  said  Cleek  in  reply.  Then  he  twitched 
forward  a  chair,  stepped  on  the  seat  of  it,  reached  up  into 
the  midst  of  the  chandeHer's  ghttering  cut-glass  lustres, 
snapped  something  out  from  their  sparkling  festoons,  and 
added  serenely,  "  Favour  for  favour:  there  you  are,  then!'^ 
as  he  dropped  the  Ladder  of  Light  into  Sir  Mawson's 
hands. 

And  all  in  a  moment,  what  with  Lady  Leake  laughing 
and  crying  at  one  and  the  same  time,  her  liege  lord  acting 
pretty  much  as  if  he  had  suddenly  gone  off  his  head,  and 
Mr.  Maverick  Narkom  chiming  in  and  asserting  several 
times  over  that  he'd  be  jiggered,  there  was  the  dickens  and 
all  to  pay  in  the  way  of  excitement. 

*'Up  in  the  chandelier!"  exclaimed  Lady  Leake  when 
matters  had  settled  down  a  bit.  "Up  there,  where  it 
might  have  remained  unnoticed  for  months,  so  hke  is  it  to 
the  strings  of  lustres.  But  how?  But  when?  Oh,  Mr. 
Cleek,  who  in  the  world  put  it  there?     And  why?" 

"Jennifer,"  he  made  answer.  "No,  not  for  any  evil 
purpose,  your  ladyship.  He  doesn't  know  even  yet  that 
it  was  there,  or  that  he  ever  in  all  his  life  held  a  thing  so 
valuable  in  his  hands.  All  that  he  does  know  in  connec- 
tion with  it  is  that  while  he  was  cleaning  those  lustres  out 
there  in  the  hallway  yesterday  afternoon  between  four  and 
five  o'clock  your  son  Bevis,  out  on  one  of  his  'treasure 
raids,'  paid  him  a  visit,  and  that  long  after,  when  the  old 
fellow  came  to  replace  the  lustres  on  the  chandelier,  he  dis- 
covered that  one  string  was  missing. 

"  'I  knowed  the  precious  little  rascal  had  took  it,  sir,  of 
course,'  was  the  way  he  put  it  in  explaining  the  matter  to 
me;  'and  I  felt  sure  I'd  be  certain  to  find  it  in  his  pirates' 
cave.  But  Lord  bless  you,  it  turned  out  as  he  hadn't  took 
it  there  at  all,  as  I  found  out  a  goodish  bit  afterward,  when 
her  ladyship  comes  down  to  the  landing  at  the  top  of  the 
first  flight  of  stairs,  calls  me  up  to  give  me  the  lint  for  Miss 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  215 

Eastman,  and  then  gives  a  jump  and  a  cry,  like  she'd  just 
recollected  something,  and  runs  back  upstairs  as  fast  as  she 
could  fly.  For  when  I  looks  down,  there  was  the  missing 
string  of  lustres  lying  on  the  landing  right  where  her  lady- 
ship had  been  standing,  and  where  he,  little  rascal,  had 
went  and  hid  it  from  me.  So  I  picks  it  up  and  puts  it  back 
in  its  place  on  the  chandeKer  just  as  soon  as  I'd  taken  the 
lint  to  Miss  Eastman  like  her  ladyship  told  me.* 

*'In  that,  Lady  Leake,  lies  the  whole  story  of  how  it 
came  to  be  where  you  saw  me  find  it.  Jennifer  is  still 
under  the  impression  that  what  he  picked  up  on  that  land- 
ing was  nothing  more  than  the  string  of  twelve  cut-glass 
lustres  joined  together  by  links  of  brass  wire  which  is  at 
this  moment  hanging  among  the  treasures'  in  your  little 
son's  pirates'  cave." 

*'0n  the  landing?  L3dng  on  the  landing,  do  you  say, 
Mr.  Cleek?"  exclaimed  her  ladyship.  ''But  heavens 
above,  how  could  the  necklace  ever  have  got  thiere?  No- 
body could  by  any  possibility  have  entered  the  boudoir 
after  I  left  it  to  run  down  to  the  landing  with  the  Hnt.  You 
saw  for  yourself  how  utterly  impossible  such  a  thing  as  that 
would  be." 

''To  be  sure,"  he  admitted.  "It  was  the  absolute  cer- 
tainty that  nobody  in  the  world  could  have  actually  forced 
the  key  to  the  solution  upon  me.  Since  it  was  possible  for 
only  one  solitary  person  to  have  entered  and  left  that  room 
since  Sir  Mawson  placed  the  necklace  in  vour  charge, 
clearly  then  that  person  was  the  one  who  carried  it  out. 
Therefore,  there  was  but  one  conclusion,  namely,  that  when 
your  ladyship  left  that  room  the  Ladder  of  Light  left  it 

with  you:  on  your  person,  and Gently,  gently,  Lady 

Leake;  don't  get  excited,  I  beg.  I  shall  be  able  in  a  mo- 
ment to  convince  you  that  my  reasoning  upon  that  point 
was  quite  sound,  and  to  back  it  up  with  actual  proof. 

"If  you  will  examine  the  necklace.  Sir  Mawson,  you  will 


^16  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

see  that  it  has  not  come  through  this  adventure  uninjured; 
in  short,  that  one  of  the  two  sections  of  its  clasp  is  missing, 
and  the  Hnk  that  once  secured  that  section  to  the  string  of 
diamonds  has  parted  in  the  middle.  Perhaps  a  good  deal 
which  may  have  seemed  to  you  sheer  madness  up  to  this 
point  will  be  clearly  explained  when  I  tell  you  that  when  I 
Hfted  Lady  Leake's  neghgee  from  that  chair  a  w^hile  ago  I 
found  this  thing  clinging  to  the  lace  of  the  right  sleeve." 

"Good  heavens  above!  Look,  Ada,  look!  The  missing 
section  of  the  clasp." 

"Exactly,"  concurred  Cleek.  "And  when  you  think  of 
where  I  found  it  I  fancy  it  will  not  be  very  difficult  to  reason 
out  how  the  necklace  came  to  be  where  Jennifer  picked  it 
up.  On  your  own  evidence,  Lady  Leake,  you  hastily  laid 
it  down  on  your  dressing-table,  when  the  sight  of  the  lint 
bandage  recalled  to  your  mind  your  promise  to  Miss  East- 
man, and  from  that  moment  it  was  never  seen  again.  The 
natural  inference  then  is  so  clear  I  think  there  can  hardly 
be  a  doubt  that  when  you  reached  over  to  pick  up  that 
bandage  the  lace  of  your  sleeve  caught  on  the  clasp,  became 
entangled,  and  that  when  you  left  the  room  you  carried  the 
Ladder  of  Light  with  you.  The  great  weight  of  the  neck- 
lace swinging  free  as  you  ran  down  the  staircase  would 
naturally  tell  upon  that  weak  link,  and  no  doubt  when  you 
leaned  over  the  banister  at  the  landing  to  call  Jennifer, 
that  was,  so  to  speak,  the  last  straw.  The  weak  Hnk 
snapped,  the  necklace  dropped  away,  and  the  thick  carpet 
entirely  muffled  the  sound  of  its  fall.     As  for  the  rest " 

The  loud  jangling  of  the  door  bell  cut  in  upon  his  words 
He  pulled  out  his  watch  and  looked  at  it. 

"That  will  be  the  Ranee's  major  domo,  I  fancy.  Sir  Maw- 
son,'^  he  observed,  "and  with  your  kind  permission  Mr. 
Narkom  and  I  will  be  going.  We  have,  as  I  have  already 
told  you,  a  Httle  matter  of  importance  still  to  attend  to  in 
the  interest  of  the  Yard,  and  although  I  haven't  the  slight- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  217 

est  idea  we  shall  be  able  to  carry  it  to  a  satisfactory  con- 
clusion for  a  very  long  time  —  if  ever  —  we  had  better  be 
about  it.  Pardon?  Reward,  your  ladyship?  Oh,  but 
I've  had  that:  Sir  Mawson  has  given  me  his  promise  to 
let  that  bonny  boy  have  another  chance.  That  was  all  I 
asked,  remember.  There's  good  stuff  in  him,  but  he  stands 
at  the  crossroads,  and  face  to  face  with  one  of  hfe's  great 
crises.  Now  is  the  time  when  he  needs  a  friend.  Now  is 
the  time  for  his  father  to  he  a  father;  and  opportunity 
counts  for  so  much  in  the  devil's  gamble  for  souls.  Get  to 
him,  daddy  —  get  to  him  and  stand  by  him  —  and  you'll 
have  given  me  the  finest  reward  in  the  world." 

And  here,  making  his  adieus  to  Lady  Leake,  whose  wet 
eyes  followed  him  with  something  of  reverence  in  them,  and 
shaking  heartily  the  hand  Sir  Mawson  held  out,  he  Hnked 
arms  with  Narkom,  and  together  they  passed  out,  leaving  a 
great  peace  and  a  great  joy  behind  them. 

''Gad,  what  an  amazing  beggar  you  are!"  declared  the 
superintendent,  breaking  silence  suddenly  as  soon  as  they 
were  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  house.  ''You'll  end  your 
days  in  the  workhouse,  you  know,  if  you  continue  this  sort 
of  tactics.  Fancy  chucking  up  a  reward  for  the  sake  of  a 
chap  you  never  saw  before,  and  who  treated  you  hke  a  mere 
nobody.  Why,  man  alive,  you  could  have  had  almost  any 
reward  —  a  thousand  pounds  if  you'd  asked  it  —  for  finding 
a  priceless  thing  like  that." 

"I  fancy  I've  helped  to  find  something  that  is  more  price- 
less still,  my  friend,  and  it's  cheap  at  the  price." 

"But  a  thousand  pounds,  Cleek!  a  thousand  pounds! 
God's  truth,  man,  think  what  you  could  do  with  all  that 
money  —  think  what  you  could  buy!" 

"To  be  sure;  but  think  what  you  canH!  Not  one  day  of 
lost  innocence,  not  one  hour  of  spoilt  youth!  It  isn't  be- 
cause they  have  a  natural  tendency  toward  evil  that  all 
men  go  wrong.     It  is  not  what  they  possess  but  what  they 


218      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

lack  that's  at  the  bottom  of  the  downfall  of  four  fifths  of 
them.  Given  such  ingredients  as  a  young  chap  suffering 
under  a  sense  of  personal  injury,  a  feehng  that  the  world's 
against  him,  that  he  has  neither  a  home  nor  a  friend  to 
stand  by  him  in  his  hour  of  need,  and  the  devil  will  whip  up 
the  mixture  and  manufacture  a  criminal  in  less  than  no 
time.  It  is  easier  to  save  him  while  he's  worth  the  saving 
than  it  is  to  pull  him  up  after  he  has  gone  down  the  Hne, 
Mr.  Narkom,  and  if  by  refusing  to  accept  so  m^any  pounds, 
shillings,  and  pence,  a  man  can  do  the  devil  out  of  a  favour- 
able opportunity Oh,  well,  let  it  go  at  that.     Come 

on,  please.  We  are  still  as  far  as  ever  from  the  'game'  we 
set  out  to  bag,  my  friend;  and  as  this  district  seems  to  be  as^ 
unpromising  in  that  respect  as  all  the  others  —  wher^ 
next?'' 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

"I'M  BOTHERED  if  I  know,"  returned  Narkom  help- 

A  lessly.      ''Gad!  I'm  at  my  wits' end.     We  seem  to  be 

as  far  as  ever  from  any  clue  to  that  devilish  pair  and  unless 

you  can  suggest  something "     He  finished  the  sentence 

by  taking  off  his  hat,  and  looking  up  at  Cleek  hopefully, 
and  patting  his  bald  spot  with  a  handkerchief  which 
diffused  a  more  or  less  agreeable  odour  of  the  latest 
Parisian  perfume. 

"H'm!"  said  Cleek,  reflectively.  "We  might  cross  the 
Heath  and  have  a  look  round  Gospel  Oak,  if  you  like.  It's 
a  goodish  bit  of  a  walk  and  I've  no  idea  that  it  will  result 
in  anything,  I  frankly  admit,  but  it  is  one  of  the  few  places 
we  have  not  tried,  so  we  might  have  a  go  at  that  if  you  ap- 
prove." 

"By  James!  yes.  The  very  thing.  There's  always  a 
chance,  you  know,  so  long  as  it's  a  district  we've  never  done. 
Gospel  Oak  it  is,  then.  And  look  here  —  I'll  tell  you  what. 
You  just  stop  here  a  bit  and  wait  for  me,  old  chap,  while  I 
nip  back  to  the  house  and  ask  Sir  Mawson's  permission  to 
use  his  telephone  —  to  ring  up  the  Yard  as  usual,  you  know, 
and  tell  them  in  what  quarter  we're  operating,  in  case  there 
should  be  reason  to  send  anybody  out  to  find  me  in  a  hurry. 
Back  with  you  in  no  time  and  then  we'll  be  off  to  Gospel 
Oak  like  a  shot." 

"Right  you  are.  I'll  stop  here  under  the  trees  and  in- 
dulge in  a  few  comforting  whiffs  while  you  are  about  it. 
Get  along!" 

Narkom  paused  a  moment  to  grip  his  cuff  between  finger 

219 


220  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

tips  and  palm,  and  run  his  coat  sleeve  round  the  shiny  surface 
of  his  '' topper,"  then  shook  out  his  handkerchief  and  re- 
turned it  to  his  pocket,  jerked  down  his  waistcoat  and  gave 
it  one  or  two  sharp  flicks  with  the  backs  of  his  nails,  and 
before  a  second  diffusion  of  scent  had  evaporated,  or  the 
whimsical  tvvist  it  called  to  Cleek's  Kps  had  entirely  van- 
ished, the  scene  presented  nothing  more  striking  than  an 
ordinary  man  leaning  back  against  a  tree  and  engaged  in 
scratching  a  match  on  the  side  of  an  ordinary  wooden  match- 
box.    The  Yard's  Gentleman  had  gone. 

It  was  full  ten  minutes  later  when  he  lurched  into  view 
again,  coming  down  the  garden  path  at  top  speed,  with  one 
hand  on  his  hat's  crown  and  the  other  holding  the  flapping 
skirts  of  his  frock  coat  together,  and  Cleek  could  tell  from 
the  expression  of  his  round,  pink  face  that  something  of  im- 
portance had  occurred. 

It  had  —  and  he  blurted  it  out  in  an  outburst  of  joyous 
excitement  the  moment  they  again  stood  together.  The 
search  for  Dutch  Ella  and  Diamond  Nick  was  at  an  end. 
The  poKue  of  Paris  had  cabled  news  of  their  location  and 
arrest  that  very  morning  in  the  French  capital,  and  would 
hold  them  under  lock  and  key  until  the  necessary  prelimi- 
naries were  over,  relative  to  their  deportation  as  undesir- 
ables, and  their  return  to  Canada. 

''The  news  arrived  less  than  an  hour  ago,"  he  finished, 
"and  that  wideawake  young  beggar,  Lennard,  thought  it 
was  so  important  that  I  ought  to  know  it  as  soon  as  possible, 
so  he  hopped  on  to  the  Hmousine  and  put  off  as  fast  as 
he  could  streak  it.  He's  up  here  in  this  district  now  —  this 
minute  —  hunting  for  us.  Come  on!  let's  go  and  find  him. 
By  James!  it's  a  ripping  end  to  the  business  —  what?" 

''That  depends,"  repHed  Cleek  without  much  enthusiasm. 
"Which  limousine  is  Lennard  using  to-day?  The  new 
blue  one? ' 

"Cinnamon,  no!     That  won't  be  delivered  until  the  day 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  221 

after  to-morrow.  So  it  will  be  the  good  old  red  one,  of 
course.     Will  it  matter?  " 

''Come  and  see!"  said  Cleek,  swinging  out  of  the  grounds 
into  the  public  highway  again,  and  walking  fast.  "At  all 
events,  an  ounce  of  certainty  is  worth  a  pound  of  suspicion, 
and  this  little  faux  pas  will  decide  the  question.  They  are 
no  fools,  those  Apaches;  and  Waldemar  knows  how  to  wait 
patiently  for  what  he  wants." 

"Waldemar?  The  Apaches?  Good  lud,  man,  what  are 
you  talking  about?  You  are  not  worrying  over  that  busi- 
ness again,  I  hope.  Haven't  I  told  you  over  and  over  again 
that  we  couldn't  find  one  trace  of  them  anywhere  in  Lon- 
don —  that  they  cleared  out  bag  and  baggage  after  that 
fruitless  trip  to  Yorkshire?  The  whole  truth  of  the  matter, 
to  my  way  of  thinking,  is  that  they  awoke  then  to  the  fact 
'*Jiat  you  had  '  dropped '  to  their  being  after  you,  and  know- 
ing you  weren't  to  be  caught  napping,  gave  it  up  as  a  bad 
job." 

"Or  altered  their  tactics  and  set  out  to  follow  some  one 
else." 

"Some  one  else?  Good  lud,  don't  talk  rubbish.  What 
good  would  following  some  one  else  do  if  they  were  after 
you?" 

"Come  and  see,"  said  Cleek  again,  and  would  say  no 
more,  but  merely  walked  on  faster  than  ever  —  up  one 
thoroughfare  and  down  another  —  flicking  eager  glances 
to  right  and  to  left  in  search  of  the  red  Hmousine. 

In  the  thick  of  the  High  Street  they  caught  sight  of  it  at 
last,  tooKng  about  aimlessly,  while  Lennard  kept  constant 
watch  on  the  crowd  of  shoppers  that  moved  up  and  down 
the  pavement. 

"Cut  ahead  and  stop  it  and  we  shall  see  what  we  shall 
see,  Mr.  Narkom.  I'll  join  you  presently,"  said  Cleek, 
and  he  stood  watching  while  the  superintendent  forged 
ahead  in  the  direction  of  the  limousine;  and  continued  watch- 


^22  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

ing  even  after  he  saw  him  reach  it  and  bring  it  to  a  halt,  and 
stand  at  the  kerb  talking  earnestly  with  Lennard. 

But  of  a  sudden  the  old  crooked  smile  looped  up  the 
■corner  of  his  mouth;  he  stood  at  attention  for  a  moment  or 
two,  breathing  hard  through  his  nostrils,  and  moving  not  at 
all  until,  abruptly  starting  into  activity,  he  walked  rapidly 
down  the  pavement  and  joined  Narkom. 

"Well?"  queried  the  superintendent,  looking  up  at  him 
■quizzically.     ''Come  to  any  decision,  old  chap?" 

''Yes  —  and  so  will  you  in  a  second.  Don't  turn  — 
don't  do  anything  hastily.  Just  look  across  the  street, 
at  the  jeweller's  window,  opposite,  and  tell  me  what  you 
think  of  it." 

Narkom's  swift,  sidelong  glance  travelled  over  the  dis- 
tance like  a  gunshot,  arrowed  through  the  sm^all  collection  of 
persons  gathered  about  the  shop  window  inspecting  the  dis- 
play of  trinkets,  and  every  nerve  in  his  body  jumped. 

"Good  God!     Waldemar!"  he  said,  under  his  breath. 

"Exactly.  I  told  you  he  knew  how  to  wait.  Now  look 
farther  along  the  kerb  on  this  side.  The  closed  carriage 
waiting  there.  It  was  dawdhng  along  and  keeping  pace 
with  him  when  I  saw  it  first.  The  man  on  the  box  is  a 
fellow  named  Serpice  —  an  Apache.  Chut!  Be  still,  will 
you?  —  and  look  the  other  way.  They  will  do  me  no  harm 
—  here.  It  isn't  their  game,  and,  besides,  they  daren't. 
It  is  too  public,  too  dangerous.  It  will  be  done,  when  it 
is  done,  in  the  dark  —  when  I'm  alone,  and  none  can  see. 
And  Waldemar  will  not  be  there.  He  will  direct,  but  not 
participate.  But  it  won't  be  to-day  nor  yet  to-night,  I 
promise  you.     I  shall  slip  them  this  time  if  never  again." 

The  superintendent  spoke,  but  the  hard  hammering  of  his 
heart  made  his  voice  scarcely  audible. 

"How?  "he  asked.     "How?" 

"Come  and  see!"  said  Cleek  for  yet  a  third  time.  Then 
with  an  abruptness  and  a  swiftness  that  carried  everything 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  223 

before  it,  he  caught  Narkom  by  the  arm,  swept  him  across 
the  street,  and  without  hint  or  warning  tapped  Waldemar 
upon  the  shoulder. 

^'Ah,  bon  jour.  Monsieur  le  Comte,"  he  said  airily,  as  the 
Mauravanian  swung  round  and  looked  at  him,  blanching 
a  trifle  in  spite  of  himself.  ''So  you  are  back  in  England, 
it  seems?  Ah,  well,  we  Kke  you  so  much  —  tell  his  Maj- 
esty when  next  you  report  —  that  this  time  we  shall  try  to 
keep  you  here." 

Taken  thus  by  assault,  the  man  had  no  words  in  which  to 
answer,  but  merely  wormed  his  way  out  of  the  gathering 
about  him  and,  panic  stricken,  obliterated  himself  in  the 
crowd  of  pedestrians  teeming  up  and  down  the  street. 

"You  reckless  devil!"  wheezed  Narkom  as  he  was  swept 
back  to  the  limousine  in  the  same  cyclonic  manner  he  had 
been  swept  away  from  it.  ''You  might  have  made  the 
man  savage  enough  to  do  something  to  you,  even  in  spite 
of  the  publicity,  by  such  a  proceeding  as  that." 

"That  is  precisely  what  I  had  hoped  to  do,  my  friend, 
but  you  perceive  he  is  no  fool  to  be  trapped  into  that.  We 
should  have  had  some  excuse  for  arresting  him  if  he  had 
done  a  thing  of  that  sort,  some  charge  to  prefer  against  him, 
whereas,  as  matters  stand,  there's  not  one  we  can  bring  for- 
ward that  holds  good  in  law  or  that  we  could  prove  if  our 
lives  depended  upon  it.  You  see  now,  I  hope,  Mr.  Nar- 
kom, why  you  have  seen  nothing  of  him  lately?  " 

"No  — why?" 

"You  have  not  used  the  red  limousine,  and  he  has  been 
lying  low  ready  to  follow  that,  iust  as  I  suspected  he  would. 
If  he  couldn't  trace  where  Cleek  ^oes  to  meet  the  red  li- 
mousine, clearly  then  the  plan  to  be  adopted  must  be  to 
follow  the  red  limousine  and  see  where  it  goes  to  meet 
Cleck,  and  then  to  follow  that  much-wanted  individual 
when  he  parts  from  you  and  makes  his  way  home.  That 
is  the  thing  the  fellow  is  after.     To  find  out  where  I  live 


224  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

and  to  'get'  me  some  night  out  there.  But,  my  friend, 
*  turn  about  is  fair  play'  the  world  over,  and  having  had  his 
inning  at  hunting  me,  I'm  going  in  for  mine  at  hunting 
him.  I'll  get  him;  I'll  trap  him  into  something  for  which 
he  can  be  turned  over  to  the  law  —  make  no  mistake  about 
that." 

''My  hat !    What  do  you  mean  to  do? " 

''First  and  foremost,  make  my  getaway  out  of  the  present 
little  corner,"  he  repHed,  "and  then  rely  upon  your  assist- 
ance in  finding  out  where  the  beggar  is  located.  We're 
not  done  with  him  even  for  to-day.  He  will  follow  —  either 
he  or  Serpice:  perhaps  both  —  the  instant  Lennard  starts 
off  with  us." 

"You  are  going  back  with  us  in  the  limousine,  then?" 

"Yes  —  part  of  the  way.  Drive  on,  Lennard,  until  you 
can  spot  a  plain-clothes  man,  then  give  him  the  signal  to 
follow  us.  At  the  first  station  on  the  Tube  or  the  Under- 
ground, pull  up  sharp  and  let  me  out.  You,  Mr.  Narkom, 
alight  with  me  and  stand  guard  at  the  station  entrance 
while  I  go  down  to  the  train.  If  either  Waldemar  or  an 
Apache  makes  an  attempt  to  follow,  arrest  him  on  the  spot, 
on  any  charge  you  care  to  trump  up  —  it  doesn't  matter 
so  that  it  holds  him  until  my  train  goes  —  and  as  soon  as  it 
has  gone,  call  up  your  plain-clothes  man,  point  out  Serpice 
to  him,  and  tell  him  to  follow  and  to  stick  to  the  fellow  until 
he  meets  Waldemar,  if  it  takes  a  week  to  accompKsh  it,  and 
then  to  shadow  his  precious  countship  and  find  out  where  he 
lives.  Tell  him  for  me  that  there's  a  ten-pound  note  in  it 
for  him  the  moment  he  can  tell  me  where  Waldemar  is 
located;  and  to  stick  to  his  man  until  he  runs  him  down. 
Now,  then,  hop  in,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  let's  be  off.  The  other 
chap  will  follow,  be  assured.     All  right,  Lennard.     Let  her 

go!" 

Lennard  'let  her  go'  forthwith,  and  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
later  saw  the  programme  carried  out  in  every  particular, 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  225 

only  that  it  was  not  Waldemar  who  made  an  attempt  to 
follow  when  the  limousine  halted  at  the  Tube  station  and 
Cleek  jumped  out  and  ran  in  (the  count  was  far  too  shrewd 
for  that) ;  it  was  a  rough-looking  Frenchman  who  had  just 
previously  hopped  out  of  a  closed  carriage  driven  by  a  fel- 
low countryman,  only  to  be  nabbed  at  the  station  doorway 
by  Narkom,  and  turned  over  to  the  nearest  constable  on  the 
charge  of  pocket  picking. 

The  charge,  however,  was  so  manifestly  groundless  that 
half  a  dozen  persons  stepped  forward  and  entered  protest; 
but  the  superintendent  was  so  pig-headed  that  by  the  time 
he  could  be  brought  to  reason,  and  the  man  was  again  at 
liberty  to  take  his  ticket  and  go  down  in  the  lift  to  the  train, 
the  platform  was  empty,  the  train  gone,  and  Cleek  already 
on  his  way. 

A  swift,  short  flight  under  the  earth's  surface  carried  him 
to  another  station  in  quite  another  part  of  London;  a 
swift,  short  walk  thence  landed  him  at  his  temporary  lodg- 
ings in  town,  and  four  o'clock  found  him  exchanging  his 
workaday  clothes  for  the  regulation  creased  trousers  and 
creaseless  coat  of  masculine  calhng  costume,  and  getting 
ready  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  with  her. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  sky  was  all  aflame  with  the  glory  of  one  of  late 
June's  gorgeous  sunsets  when  he  came  up  over  the 
long  sweep  of  meadowland  and  saw  her  straying  about 
and  gathering  wild  flowers  to  fill  the  vases  in  the  wee 
house's  wee  httle  drawing-room,  and  singing  to  herself  the 
while  in  a  voice  that  was  like  honey  —  thin  but  very,  very 
sweet  —  and  at  the  sight  something  seemed  to  lay  hold  of 
his  heart  and  quicken  its  beating  until  it  interfered  with  his 
breathing,  yet  brought  with  it  a  curious  sense  of  joy. 

*'Good  afternoon,  Mistress  of  the  Linnets!"  he  called  out 
to  her  as  he  advanced  (for  she  had  neither  seen  nor  heard 
his  coming)  mth  the  big  sheaf  of  roses  he  had  brought  held 
behind  him  and  the  bracken  and  kingcups  smothering  him 
in  green  and  gold  up  to  the  very  thighs. 

She  turned  at  the  sound,  her  face  illumined,  her  soft 
eyes  very  bright  —  those  wondrous  eyes  that  had  lit  a 
man's  way  back  from  perdition  and  would  light  it  onward 
and  upw^ard  to  the  end  —  and  greeted  him  with  a  smile  of 
happy  welcome. 

"Oh,  it  is  you  at  last,"  she  said,  looking  at  him  as  a 
woman  looks  at  but  one  man  ever.  "Is  this  your  idea  of 
*  spending  the  afternoon'  with  one,  turning  up  when  tea  is 
over  and  twilight  about  to  begin?  Do  you  know,  I  am.  a 
very  busy  young  woman  these  days"  —  blushing  rosily  — 
"and  might  have  spent  a  whole  day  in  town  shopping  but 
that  Dollops  brought  me  word  that  I  might  look  for  you? 

But,  of  course No!  I  shan't  say  it.     It  might  make 

you  vain  to  hear  that  you  had  the  power  to  spoil  my  day." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  227 

**Not  any  vainer  than  you  have  made  me  by  telKng  me 
other  things,"  he  retorted  with  a  laugh.  "I  am  afraid  I 
have  spoiled  a  good  many  days  for  you  in  my  time,  Ailsa. 
But,  please  God,  I  shall  make  up  for  them  all  in  the  bright- 
ness of  the  ones  that  are  to  come.  I  couldn't  help  being 
late  to-day  —  I'll  tell  you  all  about  that  presently  —  but 
may  I  offer  something  in  atonement?  Please,  will  you  add 
these  to  your  bouquet  and  forgive  me?  " 

^'  Roses !  Such  beauties !  How  good  of  you !  Just  smell ! 
How  divine!" 

^'Meaning  the  flowers  or  their  donor?"  —  quizzically. 
^'  Or,  no !  Don't  elucidate.  Leave  me  in  blissful  ignorance. 
You  have  hurt  my  vanity  quite  enough  as  it  is.  I  was 
deeply  mortified  —  cut  to  the  quick,  I  may  say,  if  that  will 
express  my  sense  of  grovelling  shame  any  clearer  —  when 
I  arrived  here  and  saw  what  you  were  doing.  Please, 
mum"  —  touching  his  forelock  and  scraping  his  foot  back- 
ward after  the  manner  of  a  groom  —  "did  I  make  such  a 
bad  job  of  my  work  in  that  garden  that  when  you  want  a 
bouquet  you  have  to  come  out  here  and  gather  wild  flowers? 
I  put  fifty-eight  standard  roses  on  that  terrace  just  under 
your  bedroom  window,  and  surely  there  must  be  a  bloom 
or  two  that  you  could  gather?" 

"As  if  I  would  cut  one  of  them  for  anything  in  the 
world!"  she  gave  back,  indignantly.  Then  she  laughed, 
and  blushed  and  stepped  back  from  his  impetuous  advance. 
"No  —  please!  You  fished  for  that  so  adroitly  that  you 
landed  it  before  I  thought.  Be  satisfied.  Besides,  Mrs, 
Condiment  is  at  her  window,  and  I  want  to  preserve  as  much 
as  possible  of  her  rapidly  depreciating  estimate  of  me.  She 
thinks  me  a  very  frivolous  young  person,  'to  allow  that 
young  Mr.  Hamilton  to  call  so  frequent,  miss,  and  if  you'll 
allow  me  to  say  it,  at  such  unseemly  hours.  I  don't  think 
as  dear  Captain  Burbage  would  quite  approve  of  it  if  he 
knew." 


228      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

*'Gad!  that's  rich.  What  a  mimic  you  are.  It  was  the 
dear  old  girl  to  the  life.  She  hasn't  an  inkhng  of  the  truth, 
then?" 

^'Not  one.  She  doesn't  quite  approve  of  you,  either. 
^I  hkes  to  see  a  gent  more  circumpec,  miss,  and  a  trifle  more 
reserved  when  he's  gettin'  on  his  thirties.  Muckin'  about 
with  a  garden  fork  and  such  among  a  trumpery  lot  of  roses, 
and  racin'  here,  there,  and  everywhere  over  them  medders 
after  ferns  and  things,  like  a  schoolboy  on  a  holiday,  aren't 
what  I  calls  dignified  deportment  in  full-grown  men,  and  in 
my  day  they  didn't  use  to  do  it!'  Sometimes  I  am  in 
mortal  terror  that  she  intends  to  give  me  notice  and  to  leave 
me  bag  and  baggage;  for  she  is  always  sa}ing  that  she's 
'sure  dear  Captain  Burbage  couldn't  have  kno\\Ti  what  he 
was  a-doing  of,  poor,  innocent,  kind-hearted  gentleman  — 
and  him  so  much  of  a  gent,  too,  and  so  wonderful  quiet  and 
sedate!" 

" Poor  old  girl ! "  said  Cleek,  laughing.  ''What  a  shock  to 
her  if  she  knew  the  truth.  And  what  on  earth  would  you 
do  if  she  were  to  chance  to  get  a  peep  at  Dollops?  But 
then,  of  course,  there's  no  fear  of  that  —  the  young  beg- 
gar's too  careful.  I  told  him  never  to  come  near  the  house 
when  he  carries  any  notes." 

''And  he  never  does.  Always  leaves  them  under  the 
stone  in  the  path  through  the  woods.  I  go  there,  of  course, 
twice  every  day,  and  I  never  know  that  he  has  been  about 
until  I  find  one.  I  am  alwa\^  glad  to  get  them,  but  to- 
day's one  made  me  very,  very  happy  indeed." 

"Because  I  told  you  you  might  expect  me?" 

"Yes.  But  not  that  alone.  I  think  I  cried  a  little  and  I 
know  I  went  down  on  my  knees  —  right  there  —  out  in 
those  woods,  when  I  read  those  splendid  words,  'There 
is  but  one  more  debt  to  be  paid.  The  "some  day"  of  my 
hopes  is  near  to  me  at  last.' " 

Her  voice  died  off.    He  uncovered  his  head,  and  a  still- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  229 

ness  came  that  was  not  broken  by  any  sound  or  any  move- 
ment, until  he  felt  her  hand  slip  into  his  and  remain  there. 

^'Walk  with  me!"  he  said,  closing  his  fingers  around  hers 
and  holding  them  fast.  "Walk  with  me  always.  My 
God!    I  love  you  so!'' 

"Always!"  she  made  answer  in  her  gentle  voice;  and  with 
her  hand  shut  tight  in  his,  passed  onward  with  him  —  over 
the  green  meadows  and  into  the  dim,  still  woods,  and  out 
again  into  the  flower-filled  fields  beyond,  where  all  the  sky 
was  golden  after  the  fierce  hues  of  the  sunset  had  drained 
away  into  the  tender  gleam  of  twilight,  and  there  was  not 
one  red  ray  left  to  cross  the  path  of  him. 

"You  have  led  me  this  way  from  the  first,"  he  said, 
breaking  silence  suddenly.  "Out  of  the  glare  of  fire, 
through  the  dark,  into  peaceful  fight.  I  had  gone  down  to 
hell  but  for  you  —  but  that  you  stooped  and  hfted  me. 
God!"  —  he  threw  back  his  head  and  looked  upward, 
with  his  hat  in  his  hand  and  the  fight  on  his  face  —  "  God, 
forget  me  if  ever  I  forget  that.  Amen!"  he  added,  very 
quietly,  very  earnestly;  then  dropped  his  chin  until  it 
rested  on  his  breast,  and  was  very  still  for  a  long  time. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  taking  up  the  thread  of  conversation 
where  it  had  been  broken  so  long  a  time  ago,  "there  is  but 
one  more  debt  to  be  cleared  off:  the  value  of  the  Princess 
Goroski's  tiara.  A  thousand  pounds  will  wipe  that  off  — 
it  was  not  a  very  expensive  one  —  and  I  could  have  had 
that  sum  to-day  if  I  had  thought  of  myself  alone.  Mr. 
Narkom  thinks  me  a  fool.  I  wonder  what  you  will  think 
when  you  hear?"     And  forthwith  he  told  her. 

"If  you  are  again  'fishing', "  she  replied  with  a  quizzical 
smile,  "then  again  you  are  going  to  be  successful.  I  think 
you  a  hero.  Kiss  me,  please.  I  am  very,  very  proud  of 
you.  And  that  was  what  made  you  late  in  coming,  was 
it?" 


230  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Not  altogether  that.  I  might  have  been  earlier  but 
that  we  ran  foul  of  Waldemar  and  the  Apaches  again,  and  I 
had  to  lose  time  in  shaking  them  off.  But  I  ought  not  to 
have  told  you  that.  You  will  be  getting  nervous.  It  was 
a  shock  to  Mr.  Narkom.  He  was  so  sure  they  had  given 
up  the  job  and  returned  home." 

^'I,  too,  was  sure.  I  should  have  thought  that  the  rebel- 
lion would  have  compelled  that,  in  Count  Waldemar's 
case  at  least,"  she  answered,  gravely.  ''And  particularly  in 
such  a  grave  crisis  as  his  country  is  now  called  upon  to  face. 
Have  you  seen  to-day's  papers?  They  are  full  of  it.  Count 
Irma  and  the  revolutionists  have  piled  victory  on  victory. 
They  are  now  at  the  very  gates  of  the  capital;  the  royal 
army  is  disorganized,  its  forces  going  over  in  hordes  to  the 
insurgents;  the  king  is  in  a  very  panic  and  preparing,  it  is 
reported,  to  fly  before  the  city  falls." 

"A  judgment,  Alburtus,  a  judgment!"  Cleek  cried  with 
such  vehemence  that  it  startled  her.  "Your  son  drinks  of 
the  cup  you  prepared  for  Karma's.  The  same  cup,  the 
same  result:  dethronement,  flight,  exile  in  the  world's 
wildernesses,  and  perhaps  —  death.  Well  done,  Irma ! 
A  judgment  on  you,  Maura vania.     You  pay!     You  pay!'* 

"How  wonderful  you  are  —  you  seem  to  know  every- 
thing!" declared  Ailsa.  "But  in  this  at  least  you  appear 
to  be  misinformed,  dear.  I  have  been  reading  the  reports 
faithfully  and  it  seems  that  death  was  not  the  end  of  all 
who  shared  in  Queen  Karma's  exile  and  flight.  Count 
Irma  is  telHng  a  tale  which  is  calHng  recruits  to  the  stand- 
ard of  the  revolutionists  hourly.  The  eldest  son  —  the 
Crown  Prince  Maximilian  —  is  still  alive.  The  count 
swears  to  that;  swears  that  he  has  seen  him;  that  he  knows 
where  to  find  him  at  any  moment.  The  special  correspond- 
ent of  the  Times  writes  that  everywhere  the  demand  is  for 
the  Restoration,  the  battle  cry  of  the  insurgents  'Maxi- 
milian!' and  the  whole  country  ringing  with  it." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  231 

''I  can  quite  believe  it/'  he  said,  with  one  of  his  queer, 
crooked  smiles.  ''They  are  an  excitable  people,  the  Maura- 
vanians,  but,  unfortunately,  a  fickle  one  as  well.  It  is 
up  to-day  and  down  to-morrow  with  them.  At  present 
the  cry  is  for  Maximillian;  this  time  next  month  it  may  be 
for  Irma  and  a  republican  form  of  government,  and  — 
MaximilKan  may  go  hang  for  all  they  want  of  him.  Still, 
if  they  maintain  the  present  cry  —  and  the  House  of  Albur- 

tus  falls  —  and  the  followers  of  Irma  win But  what's 

the  use  of  bothering  about  it?  Let  us  talk  of  things  that 
have  a  personal  interest  for  us,  dear.  Give  me  to-morrow, 
if  you  can.  I  shall  have  a  whole  day's  freedom  for  the  first 
time  in  wrecks.  The  water  Hlies  are  in  bloom  in  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  Thames  and  my  soul  is  simply  crying  for  the 
river's  solitudes,  the  lilies,  the  silence,  and  you!  I  want 
you  —  all  to  myself  • —  up  there,  among  God's  things.  Give 
me  the  day,  if  you  can." 

She  gave  him  not  one  but  many,  as  it  turned  out;  for  that 
one  day  proved  such  a  magic  thing  that  she  was  only  too 
willing  to  repeat  it,  and  as  the  Yard  had  no  especial  need 
of  him,  and  the  plain-clothes  man  who  had  been  set  upon 
Waldemar's  track  had  as  yet  nothing  to  report,  it  grew  to 
be  a  regular  habit  with  him  to  spend  the  long-  days  up  in 
the  river  solitudes  with  Ailsa,  picnicking  among  the  swans, 
and  to  come  home  to  Dollops  at  night  tired,  but  very 
happy. 

It  went  on  hke  this  for  more  than  ten  days,  uninterrupt- 
edly; but  at  length  there  came  a  time  when  an  entry  in  his 
notebook  warned  him  that  there  was  something  he  could 
not  put  off  any  longer  —  something  that  must  certainly  be 
attended  to  to-morrow,  in  town,  early  —  and  he  went  to 
bed  tliat  night  with  the  melancholy  feehng  that  the  next 
day  could  only  be  a  half  hoHday,  not  a  whole  one,  and  that 
his  hours  with  her  would  be  few. 

But  when  that  to-morrow  came  he  knew  that  even  these 


232  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

were  to  be  denied  him;  for  the  long-deferred  call  of  the  Yard 
had  come,  and  Narkom,  ringing  him  up  at  breakfast  time, 
asked  for  an  immediate  meeting. 

*'In  town,  dear  chap,  as  near  to  Liverpool  Street  and  as 
early  as  you  can  possibly  make  it." 

''Well,  I  can't  make  it  earlier  than  half -past  ten.  I've 
got  a  httle  private  business  of  my  own  to  attend  to,  as  it 
happens,  Mr.  Narkom,"  he  repHed.  "I'd  put  it  off  if  I 
could,  but  I  can't.  To-day  before  noon  is  the  last  possible 
hour.  But  look  here  I  I  can  meet  you  at  half -past  ten  in 
Bishopsgate  Street,  between  St.  Ethelburga's  Church  and 
Bevis  Narks,  if  that  will  do.  Will,  eh?  All  right.  Be  on 
the  lookout  for  me  there,  then.  What?  The  new  blue 
limousine,  eh?  Right  you  are.  I'm  your  man  to  the  tick 
of  the  half  hour.     Good-bye ! " 

And  he  was,  as  it  turned  out.  For  the  new  blue  limou- 
sine (a  ghstening,  spic-span  sixty-horsepower  machine, 
perfect  in  every  detail)  had  no  more  than  come  to  a  stand- 
still at  the  kerb  in  the  exact  neighbourhood  stated  at  the 
exact  half  hour  agreed  upon,  when  open  whisked  the  door, 
and  in  jumped  Cleek  with  the  swiftness  and  agihty  of  a 
cat. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

"/^^OOD  morning,  my  friend.  I  hope  I  haven't  taken 
^-J  you  too  much  by  surprise,"  he  said,  as  the  Hmousine 
sprang  into  activity  the  instant  he  closed  the  door,  and  set- 
tled himself  down  beside  the  superintendent. 

^'Not  more  than  usual,  dear  chap.  But  I  shall  never  get 
quite  used  to  some  of  your  little  tricks.  Gad!  You're  the 
most  abnormally  prompt  beggar  that  ever  existed,  I  do  be- 
lieve.    You  absolutely  break  all  records." 

"Well,  I  certainly  came  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  losing 
my  reputation  this  morning,  then,"  he  answered  cheerily, 
as  he  fumbled  in  his  pockets  for  a  match.  "It  was  a  hard 
pull  to  cover  the  distance  and  get  through  the  business  in 
time,  I  can  tell  you,  with  the  brief  margin  I  had.     But 

fortunately Here !     Take  charge  of  that,  will  you? 

And  read  it  over  while  I'm  getting  a  light." 

"That"  was  a  long  legal-looking  envelope  which  he  had 
whisked  out  of  his  pocket  and  tossed  into  Narkom's  lap. 

"'Royal  British  Life  Assurance  Society,'"  repeated  he, 
reading  off  the  single  Hne  printed  on  the  upper  left-hand 

comer  of  the  envelope.     "What  the  dickens I  say, 

is  it  a  policy?" 

"Aha!"  assented  Cleek,  with  his  mouth  full  of  smoke. 
"The  medico  who  put  me  through  my  paces,  some  time  ago, 
reported  me  sound  in  wind  and  limb,  and  warranted  not  to 
bite,  shy,  or  kick  over  the  traces,  and  I  was  duly  ordered  to 
turn  up  at  the  London  office  before  noon  on  a  given  day  to 
sign  up  (and  pay  down)  and  receive  that  interesting  docu- 
ment, otherwise  my  application  would  be  void,  et  cetera. 

233 


234  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

This,  as  it  happens,  is  the  'given  day'  in  question;  and  as 
the  office  doesn't  open  for  business  before  ten  a.  m.,  and 
there  wasn't  the  least  Kkehhood  of  my  being  able  to  get  back 
to  it  before  noon,  when  you  were  calling  for  me  —  '  there 
you  have  the  whole  thing  in  a  nutshell,'  as  the  old  w^oman 
said  when  she  poisoned  the  filberts." 

Meanwhile,  Narkom  had  opened  the  envelope  and 
glanced  over  the  document  it  contained.  He  now  sat  up 
with  a  jerk  and  voiced  a  cry  of  amazement. 

"Good  Lord,  dehver  us!"  he  exclaimed.  ''In  favour  of 
Dollops!" 

''Yes,"  said  Cleek.  "He's  a  faithful  Kttle  monkey  and  — 
I've  nothing  else  to  leave  him.  There's  always  a  chance, 
you  know — with  Margot's  lot  and  Waldemar's.  I  shouldn't 
like  to  think  of  the  boy  being  forced  back  into  the  streets 
if  —  an}^ thing  should  happen  to  me." 

"Well,  I'll  be What  a  man!   What  a  man!  Cleek, 

my  dear,  dear  friend  —  my  comrade  —  my  pal " 

"  Chuck  it!  Scotland  Yard  with  the  snufSes  is  enough  to 
make  the  gods  shriek,  you  dear  old  footler!     Why,  God 

bless  your  old  soul,  I Brakes  on!      Let's  talk  about 

the  new  hmousine.     She's  a  beauty,  isn't  she?     Locker, 

mirror:  just  like  the  old  red  one,  and Hello!     I  say, 

you  are  taking  me  into  the  country,  I  perceive;  we've  left 
the  town  behind  us." 

"Yes;  we're  bound  for  Darsham." 

"Darsham?  That's  in  Suffolk,  isn't  it?  And  about 
ninety-five  miles  from  Liverpool  Street  Station,  as  the  crow 
flies.  So  our  little  business  to-day  is  to  be  an  out-of-town 
affair,  eh?  Well,  let's  have  it.  What's  the  case?  Burg- 
lary?" 

"No  —  murder.  Happened  last  night.  Got  the  news 
over  the  telephone  this  morning.  Nearly  bowled  me  over 
when  I  heard  it,  by  James !  for  I  saw  the  man  alive  —  in 
town  —  only  the  day  before  yesterday.     It's  a  murder  of  a 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  235 

peculiarly  cunning  and  cleverly  contrived  character,  Cleek, 
with  no  apparent  motive,  and  absolutely  no  clue  as  to  what 
means  the  assassin  used  to  Idll  his  victim,  nor  how  he  man- 
aged to  get  in  and  out  of  the  place  in  which  the  crime  was 
committed.  There  isn't  the  slightest  mark  on  the  body. 
The  man  was  not  shot,  not  stabbed,  not  poisoned,  nor  did 
he  die  from  natural  causes.  There  is  no  trace  of  a  strug- 
gle, yet  the  victim's  face  sh6ws  that  he  died  in  great  agony, 
and  was  beyond  all  question  the  object  of  a  murderous 
attack." 

*'Hum-m!"  said  Cleek,  stroking  his  chin.  "Sounds  in- 
teresting, at  all  events.  Let's  have  the  facts  of  the  case, 
please.  But  first,  who  was  the  victim?  Anybody  of  im- 
portance?" 

"Of  very  great  importance  —  in  the  financial  world," 
replied  Narkom.  "He  is  —  or,  rather,  was  —  an  American 
multi-millionaire;  inventor,  to  speak  by  the  card,  of  nu- 
merous electrical  devices  which  brought  him  wealth  beyond 
the  dreams  of  avarice,  and  carried  his  fame  all  over  the 
civilized  world.  You  will,  no  doubt,  have  heard  of  him. 
His  name  is  Jefferson  P.  Drake." 

"Oho!"  said  Cleek,  arching  his  eyebrows.  "That  man, 
eh?  Oh,  yes,  I've  heard  of  him  often  enough  —  very  nearly 
everybody  in  England  has  by  this  time.  Chap  who  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  bettering  the  conditions  of  the  poor  by 
erecting  art  galleries  that  were  to  be  filled  and  supported 
out  of  the  rates  and,  more  or  less  modestly,  to  be  known  by 
the  donor's  name.     That's  the  man,  isn't  it?  " 

"Yes,  that's  the  man." 

"Just  so.  Stop  a  bit!  Let's  brush  up  my  memory  a 
trifle.  Of  English  extraction,  wasn't  he?  And,  having  made 
his  money  in  his  own  native  country,  came  to  that  of  his 
father  to  spend  it?  Had  social  aspirations,  too,  I  believe; 
and,  while  rather  vulgar  in  his  habits  and  tastes,  was  ex- 
ceedingly warm-hearted  —  indeed,  actually  lovable  —  and 


236  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

made  up  for  his  own  lack  of  education  by  spending  barrels 
of  money  upon  that  of  his  son.  Came  to  England  some- 
thing more  than  a  year  ago,  if  I  remember  rightty;  bought 
a  fine  old  place  down  in  Suffolk,  and  proceeded  forthwith 
to  modernize  it  after  the  most  approved  American  ideas  — 
steam  heat,  electric  lights,  a  refrigerating  plant  for  the  pur- 
pose of  supplying  the  ice  and  the  creams  and  the  frozen 
sweets  so  necessary  to  the  American  palate;  all  that  sort  of 
thing,  and  set  out  forthwith  to  establish  himself  as  a  sump- 
tuous entertainer  on  the  very  largest  possible  scale.  That's 
the  '  lay  of  the  land,'  isn't  it?  " 

''Yes,  that's  it  precisely.  The  estate  he  purchased  was 
Heatherington  Hall,  formerly  Lord  Fallowfield's  place.  The 
entail  was  broken  ages  ago,  but  no  Fallowfield  ever  at- 
tempted to  part  with  the  place  until  his  present  lordship's 
time.  And  although  he  has  but  one  child,  a  daughter,  I 
don't  suppose  that  he  would  have  been  tempted  to  do  so, 
either,  but  that  he  was  badly  crippled  —  alm^ost  ruined,  in 
fact  —  last  year  by  unlucky  speculations  in  the  stock 
market,  with  the  result  that  it  was  either  sell  out  to  Jefferson 
P.  Drake  or  be  sold  out  by  his  creditors.  Naturally,  he  chose 
the  former  course.  That  it  turned  out  to  be  a  most  excel- 
lent thing  for  him  you  will  understand  when  I  tell  you  that 
Drake  conceived  an  almost  violent  liking  for  him  and  his 
daughter.  Lady  Marjorie  Wynde,  and  not  only  insisted 
upon  their  remaining  at  Heatherington  Hall  as  his  guests 
in  perpetuity,  but  designed  eventually  to  bring  the  prop- 
erty back  into  the  possession  of  the  original  'Une'  by  a 
marriage  between  Lady  Marjorie  and  his  son." 

''Effective  if  not  very  original,"  commented  Cleek,  with 
one  of  his  curious  one-sided  smiles.  "And  how  did  the  par- 
ties most  concerned  view  this  promising  httle  plan?  Were 
they  agreeable  to  the  arrangement?" 

"Not  they.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  both  have  what  you 
may  call  a  'heart  interest'  elsewhere.    Lady  Marjorie,  who. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  £37 

although  she  is  somewhat  of  a  'Yes,  papa,'  and  'Please, 
papa,'  young  lady,  and  could,  no  doubt,  be  induced  to  sacri- 
fice herself  for  the  family  good,  is,  it  appears,  engaged  to  a 
young  lieutenant  who  will  one  day  come  in  for  money,  but 
hasn't  more  than  enough  to  pay  his  mess  bills  at  present,  I 
beheve.  As  for  young  Jim  Drake  —  why,  matters  were 
even  worse  with  him.  It  turns  out  that  he'd  found  the  girl 
he  wanted  before  he  left  the  States,  and  it  took  him  just 
about  twenty  seconds  to  make  his  father  understand  that 
he'd  be  shot,  hanged,  drawn,  quartered,  or  even  reduced  to 
mincemeat,  before  he'd  give  up  that  girl  or  marry  any  other, 
at  any  time  or  at  any  cost,  from  now  to  the  Judgment  Day." 

''Bravo!"  said  Cleek,  slapping  his  palms  together. 
"That's  the  spirit.  That's  the  boy  for  my  money,  Mr. 
Narkom!  Get  a  good  woman  and  stick  to  her,  through 
thick  and  thin,  at  all  hazards  and  at  any  cost.  The  jockey 
who  'swaps  horses'  in  the  middle  of  a  race  never  yet  came 
first  under  the  wire  nor  won  a  thing  worth  having.  Well, 
w^hat  was  the  result  of  this  plain  speaking  on  the  young 
man's  part?     Pleasant  or  unpleasant?  " 

"Oh,  decidedly  unpleasant.  The  father  flew  into  a  rage, 
swore  by  all  that  was  holy,  and  by  a  great  deal  that  w'asn't, 
that  he'd  cut  him  off  'without  one  red  cent,'  whatever  that 
may  mean,  if  he  ever  married  that  particular  girl;  and  as 
that  particular  girl  —  who  is  as  poor  as  Job's  turkey,  by  the 
way  —  happened  by  sheer  perversity  of  fortune  to  have 
landed  in  England  that  very  day,  in  company  with  an  emi- 
nent Kterary  person  whose  secretary  she  had  been  for  some 
two  or  three  years  past,  away  marched  the  son,  took  out  a 
special  license,  and  married  her  on  the  spot." 

"Well  done,  independence!  I  like  that  bo}^  more  than 
ever,  Mr.  Narkom.  What  followed?  Did  the  father  relent, 
or  did  he  invite  the  pair  of  them  to  clear  out  and  hoe 
their  own  row  in  future?  " 

"He   did   neither;   he   simply   ignored   their   existence. 


238  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Young  Drake  brought  his  wife  down  to  Suffolk  and  took 
rooms  at  a  village  inn,  and  then  set  out  to  interview  his 
father.  When  he  arrived  at  the  Hall  he  was  told  by  the 
lodgekeeper  that  strangers  weren't  admitted,  and,  on  his 
asking  to  have  his  name  sent  in,  was  informed  that  the 
lodgekeeper  had  'never  heard  of  no  sich  person  as  Mr.  James 
Drake  —  that  there  wasn't  none,  and  that  the  master  said 
there  never  had  been,  neither'  —  and  promptly  double- 
locked  the  gates.  What  young  James  Drake  did  after  that 
it  appears  that  nobody  knows,  for  nobody  saw  him  again 
until  this  morning;  and  it  was  only  yesterday,  I  must  tell 
you,  that  he  made  that  unsuccessful  attempt  to  get  into 
the  place  to  see  his  father.  Be  says,  however,  that  he  spent 
the  time  in  going  over  to  Ipswich  and  back  in  the  hope  of 
seeing  a  friend  there  to  whom  he  might  apply  for  work. 
He  says,  too,  that  when  he  got  there  he  found  that  that 
friend  —  an  American  acquaintance — had  given  up  his  rooms 
the  day  before,  and  rushed  off  to  Italy  in  answer  to  a 
cable  from  his  sister;  or  so,  at  least,  the  landlady  told  him.'^ 

"Which,  of  course,  the  landlady  can  be  relied  upon  to 
corroborate  if  there  is  any  question  regarding  the  matter? 
Is  there?" 

"Well,  he  seems  to  think  that  there  may  be.  He's  the 
cHent,  you  must  know.  It  was  he  that  gave  me  the  details 
over  the  telephone,  and  asked  me  to  put  you  on  the  case. 
As  he  says  himself,  it's  easy  enough  to  prove  about  his  hav- 
ing gone  to  Ipswich  to  see  his  friend,  but  it  isn't  so  easy  to 
prove  about  his  coming  back  in  the  manner  he  did.  It 
seems  he  was  too  late  for  any  return  train,  that  he  hadn't 
money  enough  left  in  the  world  to  waste  any  by  taking  a 
private  conveyance,  so  he  walked  back;  and  that,  as  it's  a 
goodish  stretch  of  country,  and  he  didn't  know  the  way,  and 
couldn't  at  night  find  anybody  to  ask,  he  lost  himself  more 
than  once,  with  the  consequence  that  it  was  daylight  when 
he  got  back  to  the  inn,  where  his  frightened  wife  sat  awaiting 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  23^ 

him,  never  having  gone  to  bed  nor  closed  an  eye  all  night, 
poor  girl,  fearing  that  some  accident  had  befallen  him. 
But,  be  that  as  it  may,  Cleek,  during  those  hours  he  was- 
absent  his  father  was  mysteriously  murdered  in  a  round  box 
of  a  room  in  which  he  had  locked  himself,  and  to  which, 
owing  to  structural  arrangements,  it  would  seem  impossible 
for  anything  to  have  entered;  and,  as  young  Drake  rightly 
says,  the  worst  of  it  is  that  the  murder  followed  so  close 
upon  the  heels  of  his  quarrel  and  promised  disinheritance, 
that  his  father  had  no  time  to  alter  the  will  which  left  him' 
sole  heir  to  everything;  so  that  possibly  people  will  talk." 

''Undoubtedly,"  agreed  Cleek.  "And  yet  you  said  there 
was  no  motive  and  absolutely  no  clue.  M' yes!  I  wonder 
if  I  shall  like  this  independent  young  gentleman  quite  so 
well  after  I  have  seen  him." 

"Oh,  my  dear  fellow!  Good  heavens,  man,  you  can't 
possibly  think  of  suspecting  him.  Remember,  it  is  he  him- 
self who  brings  the  case  —  that  the  Yard  would  never  have 
had  anything  to  do  with  it  but  for  him." 

"Quite  so.  But  the  local  constabulary  would;  and  the 
simplest  way  to  bhnd  a  jackass  is  to  throw  dust  in  his  eyes. 
They  are  natural  born  actors,  the  Americans;  they  are  good 
schemers  and  fine  planners.  Their  native  game  is  'bluff,'" 
and  they  are  very,  very  careful  in  the  matter  of  detail." 

Then  he  pinched  up  his  chin  and  sat  silent  for  a  moment, 
watching  the  green  fields  and  the  pleasant  farmlands  as  the 
limousine  went  pelting  steadily  on. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

''QUPPOSE,  now,  that  you  have  succeeded  in  putting  the 
^  cart  before  the  horse,  Mr.  Narkom, "  Cleek  said  sud- 
denly, "you  proceed  to  give  me,  not  the  ramifications  of  the 
case,  but  the  case  itself.  You  have  repeatedly  spoken  of 
the  murder  having  taken  place  in  som.e  place  which  is  dif- 
ficult of  access  and  under  most  mystifying  circumstances. 
Now,  if  you  don't  mind,  I  should  Hke  to  hear  what  those 
circumstances  are." 

"All  right,  old  chap,  I'll  give  you  the  details  as  briefly 
as  possible.  In  the  first  place,  you  must  know  that  Heath- 
erington  Hall  is  a  very  ancient  place,  dating  back,  indeed, 
to  those  pleasant  times  when  a  nobleman's  home  had  to  be 
something  of  a  fortress  as  well,  if  he  didn't  want  to  wake  up 
some  fine  morning  and  find  his  place  'sacked,'  his  roof  burnt 
over  his  head,  and  himself  and  his  lady  either  held  for  ran- 
som or  freed  from  any  possibihty  of  having  'headaches' 
thereafter.  Now,  a  round  tower  with  only  one  door  by 
which  to  enter,  and  no  windows  other  than  narrow  slits, 
through  which  the  bowmen  could  discharge  their  shafts  at 
an  attacking  party  without  exposing  themselves  to  the 
dangers  of  a  return  fire,  was  the  usual  means  of  defence 
adopted  —  you'll  see  dozens  of  them  in  Suffolk,  dear  chap, 
but  whether  for  reasons  of  economy  or  merely  to  carry  out 
some  theory  of  his  own,  the  first  lord  of  Heatherington  Hall 
did  not  stick  to  the  general  plan. 

"In  brief,  instead  of  building  a  tall  tower  rising  from  the 
ground  itself,  he  chose  to  erect  upon  the  roof  of  the  west 
wing  of  the  building  a  lower  but  more  commodious  one 

240 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      241 

than  was  customary.  That  is  to  say,  that  while  his  tower 
was  less  than  half  the  height  of  any  other  in  the  country,  its 
circumference  was  twice  as  great,  and,  by  reason  of  the 
double  supply  of  bowman's  slits,  equally  as  effective  in 
withstanding  a  siege;  and,  indeed,  doubly  difficult  to  as- 
sault, as  before  an  invading  force  could  get  to  the  door  of 
the  place  it  would  have  to  fight  its  way  up  through  the 
main  building  to  reach  the  level  of  it. 

*'Now,  owing  to  the  peculiarity  of  its  construction  —  it 
is  not  more  than  eighteen  feet  high  —  the  fact  that  it  con- 
tained but  one  circular  room,  and  all  those  bowman  shts 
in  the  walls  of  it,  this  unusual  'tower'  gained  an  equally 
unusual  name  for  itself,  and  became  known  everywhere  as 
the  'Stone  Drum  of  Heatherington,'  and  is  even  mentioned 
by  that  name  in  the  Inquisitio  Eliensis  of  the  ''Domesday 
Book,"  which,  as  you  doubtless  know,  is  the  particular 
volume  of  that  remarkable  work  which  records  the  survey^ 
et  cetera,  of  the  counties  of  Cambridge,  Hertford,  Essex, 
Norfolk,  Suffolk,  and  Huntingdon." 

"I  see,"  said  Cleek,  with  an  amused  twinkle  in  his  eye. 
"You  are  getting  on,  Mr.  Narkom.  We  shall  have  you 
lecturing  on  archaeology  one  of  these  fine  days.  But  to 
return  to  our  mutton  —  or,  rather,  our  stone  drum  —  was  it 
in  that  place,  then,  that  the  murder  was  committed?" 

"Yes.  It  is  one  of  the  few,  very  few,  parts  of  the  build- 
ing to  which  Mr.  Jefferson  P.  Drake  did  nothing  in  the  way 
of  modernizing,  and  added  nothing  in  the  way  of  '  improve- 
ments.' That,  probably,  was  because,  as  it  stood,  it  offered 
him  a  quiet,  secluded,  and  exclusive  retreat  for  the  carry- 
ing on  of  his  experiments;  for  wealth  had  brought  with  it 
no  inclination  to  retire,  and  he  remained  to  the  last  in  the 
lists  of  the  world's  active  forces.  As  a  general  thing,  he 
did  not  do  much  in  the  way  of  burning  the  midnight  oil, 
but  conducted  most  of  his  experiments  in  the  daytime. 
But  last  night  was  an  exception.     It  may  be  that  the  news 


^42  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

of  his  son's  appeal  to  the  lodgekeeper  that  afternoon  had 
upset  him,  for  he  was  restless  and  preoccupied  all  the  even- 
ing, Lord  Fallowfield  says  —  or,  at  least,  so  young  Drake 
reports  Mm  as  having  said  —  and  instead  of  retiring  with 
the  rest  of  the  house  party  when  bedtime  came  and  his 
Japanese  valet  carried  up  his  customary  carafe  of  ice- 
water  " 

''Oh,  he  has  a  Japanese  valet,  has  he?  But,  of  course, 
in  these  days  no  American  gentleman  with  any  pretence  to 
distinction  whatsoever  would  be  without  one.  Go  on, 
please.  His  Japanese  valet  carried  up  the  ice-water,  and 
—  then  what?" 

''Then  he  suddenly  announced  his  intention  of  going  into 
the  Stone  Drum  and  working  for  a  few  hours.  Lord  Fal- 
lowfield, it  appears,  tried  his  best  to  dissuade  him,  but  to 
no  purpose." 

' '  Why  did  he  do  that?     Or  don't  you  know?  " 

"Yes.  I  asked  that  very  question  myself.  I  was  told 
that  it  was  because  his  lordship  saw  very  plainly  that  he 
was  labouring  under  strong  mental  excitement,  and  he 
thought  that  rest  would  be  the  best  thing  for  him  in  the 
circumstances.  Then,  too,  his  lordship  and  he  are  warmly 
attached  to  each  other.  In  fact,  the  earl  was  as  fond  of  him 
as  if  he  had  been  a  brother.  As  well  he  ought  to  be,  by 
James!  when  you  recollect  that  before  he  got  the  idea  into 
his  head  of  marrying  his  son  to  Lady  Marjorie  he  added  a 
codicil  to  his  will  bequeathing  the  place  to  Lord  Fallow^field, 
together  with  all  the  acres  and  acres  of  land  he  had  added 
to  it,  and  all  the  art  treasures  he  had  collected,  absolutely 
free  from  death  duties." 

"Oho!"  said  Cleek,  then  smiled  and  pinched  his  chin 
and  said  no  more. 

"Well,  it  appears  that  when  his  lordship  found  that  he 
couldn't  make  the  stubborn  old  Johnnie  change  his  mind,  he 
-accompanied  him  to  the  Stone  Drum,  together  with  the 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  243 

valet,  to  see  that  everything  was  as  it  should  be,  and  that 
nothing  was  wanting  that  might  tend  to  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  a  night  worker.  When  there  was  nothing 
more  that  could  be  done,  the  valet  was  dismissed,  his  lord- 
ship said  good-night  to  his  friend  and  left  him  there  alone, 
hearing,  as  he  passed  along  the  railed  walk  over  the  roof  oi 
the  wing  to  the  building  proper  (  a  matter  of  some  twenty- 
odd  feet)  the  sound  of  the  bolt  being  shot,  the  bar  put  on, 
and  the  key  being  turned  as  Mr.  Drake  locked  himself  in. 

''What  happened  from  that  moment,  Cleek,  nobody 
knows.  At  seven  o'clock  this  morning  the  valet,  going  to 
his  master's  room  with  his  shaving- water,  found  that  he  had 
never  gone  to  bed  at  all,  and,  on  hastening  to  the  Stone 
Drum,  found  that  a  light  was  still  burning  within  and 
faintly  illuminating  the  bowman's  slits;  but  although  he 
knocked  on  the  door  and  called  again  and  again  to  his  mas- 
ter, he  could  get  no  answer.  Alarmed,  he  aroused  the  entire 
household;  but  despite  the  fact  that  a  dozen  persons  en- 
deavoured to  get  word  from  the  man  withm,  not  so  much  as 
a  whisper  rewarded  them.  The  bolt  was  still  'shot,'  the 
bar  still  on,  the  key  still  turned  on  the  inner  side  of  the  door, 
so  they  could  force  no  entry  to  the  place;  and  it  was  never 
until  the  village  blacksmith  had  been  called  in  and  his 
sledge  had  battered  down  the  age-weakened  masonry  in 
which  that  door  was  set  that  any  man  knew  for  certain, 
what  that  burning  light  and  that  unbroken  silence  por- 
tended. When,  however,  they  finally  got  into  the  place 
there  lay  the  once  famous  inventor  at  full  length  on  the 
oaken  floor  close  to  the  barred  door,  as  dead  as  George 
Washington,  and  with  never  a  sign  of  what  killed  him  either 
on  the  body  or  in  any  part  of  the  place.  Yet  the  first  look 
at  his  distorted  features  was  sufficient  to  prove  that  he  had 
died  in  agony,  and  the  position  of  the  corpse  showed  clearly 
that  when  the  end  came  he  was  endeavouring  to  get  to  the 
door." 


244  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Heart  failure,  possibly,"  said  Cleek. 

"Not  a  hope  of  it,"  replied  Narkom.  ''A  doctor  was 
sent  for  immediately;  fortunately  one  of  the  most  famous 
surgeons  in  England  happened  to  be  in  the  neighbourhood 
at  the  time  —  called  down  from  town  to  perform  an  opera- 
tion. He  is  wilHng,  so  young  Mr.  Drake  tells  me,  to  stake 
his  professional  reputation  that  the  man's  heart  was  as 
sound  as  a  guinea;  that  he  had  not  imbibed  one  drop  of  any- 
thing poisonous;  that  he  had  not  been  asphyxiated,  as,  of 
course,  he  couldn't  have  been,  for  the  bo^vman's  slits  in  the 
wall  gave  free  ventilation  to  the  place,  if  nothing  more;  that 
he  had  not  been  shot,  stabbed,  or  bludgeoned,  but,  never- 
theless, he  had  died  by  violence,  and  that  violence  was  not, 
and  could  not  be,  attributed  to  suicide,  for  there  was  every- 
thing to  prove  to  the  contrary.  In  short,  that  whatever 
had  attacked  him  had  done  so  imexpectedly  and  while  he 
was  busy  at  his  work-table,  for  there  was  the  chair  lying  on 
its  back  before  it,  just  as  it  had  fallen  over  when  he  jumped 
up  from  his  seat,  and  there  on  the  'working  plan'  he  was 
drawing  up  was  the  pen  lying  on  a  blob  of  India  ink,  just  as 
it  had  dropped  from  his  hand  when  he  was  stricken.  Some 
murderous  force  had  entered  that  room,  and  passed  out  of 
it  again,  leaving  the  door  barred,  bolted,  and  locked  upon 
the  inside.  Some  weapon  had  been  used,  and  yet  no  weapon 
was  there  and  no  trace  upon  the  body  to  indicate  what  its 
character  might  be.  Indeed,  everything  in  the  room  was 
precisely  as  it  had  been  when  Lord  Fallowfield  walked  out 
last  night  and  left  him,  beyond  the  fact  of  the  overturned 
chair  and  a  Httle  puddle  of  clear  water  lying  about  a  yard 
or  so  from  the  work-table  and,  owing  to  the  waxing  and 
poHshing,  not  yet  absorbed  by  the  wood  of  the  floor.  As 
no  one  could  account  for  the  presence  of  that,  and  as  it  was 
the  only  thing  there  which  might  offer  a  possible  clue  to  the 
mystery,  the  doctor  took  a  small  sample  of  that  water  and 
analyzed  it.     It  was  simply  plain,  everyday,  common,  or 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  245 

garden  pure  water,  and  nothing  more,  without  the  slightest 
trace  of  any  foreign  matter  or  of  any  poisonous  substance  in 
it  whatsoever.  There,  old  chap,  that's  the  *  case'  —  that's 
the  little  riddle  you're  asked  to  come  down  and  solve.  What 
do  you  make  of  it,  eh?  " 

^'Tell  you  better  when  I've  seen  Mr.  James  Drake  and 
Lord  Fallowfield  and  —  the  doctor,"  said  Cleek,  and  would 
say  no  more  than  that  for  the  present. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

IT  WAS  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood  of  half-past 
three  when  the  opportunity  to  interview  those  three 
persons  was  finally  vouchsafed  him;  and  it  may  be  re- 
corded at  once  that  the  meeting  did  some  violence  to  his 
emotions.  In  short,  he  found  Mr.  James  Drake  (far  from 
being  the  frank-faced,  impulsive,  lovable  young  pepper-pot 
which  his  actions  and  words  would  seem  to  stand  sponsor 
for)  a  rather  retiring  young  man  of  the  "pale  and  studious" 
order,  absolutely  lacking  in  personal  magnetism,  and  about 
the  last  person  in  the  world  one  would  expect  to  do  the 
''all  for  love"  business  of  the  average  hero  in  the  manner  he 
had  done.  On  the  other  hand,  he  found  the  Earl  of  Fallow- 
field  an  exceedingly  frank,  pleasant-mannered,  rather  boy- 
ish-looking gentleman,  whose  many  attractions  rendered  it 
easy  to  understand  why  the  late  Mr.  Jefferson  P.  Drake  had 
conceived  such  a  warm  affection  for  him,  and  was  at  such 
pains  to  have  him  ever  by  his  side.  It  seemed,  indeed,  dif- 
ficult to  believe  that  he  could  possibly  be  the  father  of  Lady 
Marjorie  Wynde,  for  his  manner  and  appearance  were  so 
youthful  as  to  make  him  appear  to  be  nothing  closer  than 
an  elder  brother.  The  doctor  —  that  eminent  Harley  Street 
light,  Mr.  John  Strangeways  Hague  —  he  found  to  be  full  of 
Harley  Street  manners  and  Harley  Street  ideas,  eminently 
poHte,  eminently  cold,  and  about  as  pleased  to  meet  a  detec- 
tive police  officer  as  he  would  be  to  find  an  organ-grinder 
sitting  on  his  doorstep. 

"Have  you  come  to  any  conclusions  as  to  the  means  of 
death,  Doctor?"  asked  Cleek  after  he  had  been  shown  into 

246 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      247 

the  Stone  Drum,  where  the  body  of  the  dead  man  still  lay 
and  where  the  local  coroner  and  the  local  J.  P.  were  con- 
ducting a  sort  of  preliminary  examination  prior  to  the 
regulation  inquest,  which  must,  of  course,  follow.  ^'The 
general  appearance  would  suggest  asphyxia,  if  asphyxia 
were  possible/' 

"Which  it  is  not,"  volunteered  Doctor  Hague,  with  the 
geniality  of  a  snowball.  "You  have  probably  observed 
that  the  many  slits  in  the  wall  permit  of  free  ventilation; 
and  asphyxia  with  free  ventilation  is  an  impossibility." 

"Quite  so,"  agreed  Cleek  placidly.  "But  if  by  any 
chance  those  slits  could  have  been  closed  from  the  outside 
—  I  observe  that  at  some  period  and  for  some  purpose  Mr. 
Drake  has  made  use  of  a  charcoal  furnace"  —  indicating  it 
by  a  wave  of  the  hand  —  "and  apparently  with  no  other 
vent  to  carry  off  the  fumes  than  that  supplied  by  the 
sHts.  Now  if  they  were  closed  and  the  charcoal  left 
burning,  the  result  would  be  an  atmosphere  charged 
with  carbon  monoxide  gas,  and  a  little  more  than  one  per 
cent,  of  that  in  the  air  of  a  room  deprived  of  ventilation 
would,  in  a  short  time,  prove  fatal  to  any  person  breathing 
that  air." 

The  doctor  twitched  round  an  inquiring  eye,  and  looked 
him  over  from  head  to  foot. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  remembering  that,  after  all,  there  were 
Board  Schools,  and  even  the  humblest  might  sometimes 
learn,  parrot-like,  to  repeat  the  "things  that  are  in  books." 
"But  we  happen  to  know  that  the  slits  were  not  closed  and 
that  neither  carbon  oxide  nor  carbon  monoxide  was  the 
cause  of  death." 

"You  have  taken  samples  of  the  blood,  of  course,  to 
establish  that  fact  beyond  question,  as  one  could  so  readily 
do?  "  ventured  Cleek  suavely.  "The  test  for  carbon  monox- 
ide is  so  simple  and  so  very  certain  that  error  is  impossible. 
Il:  combines  so  tensely,  if  one  may  put  it  that  way,  with 


248      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

the  blood,  that  the  colouring  of  the  red  corpuscles  is  utterly 
overcome  and  destroyed." 

*'My  good  sir,  those  are  elementary  facts  of  which  I  do 
not  stand  in  need  of  a  reminder." 

^' Quite  so,  quite  so.  But  in  my  profession,  Doctor,  one 
stands  in  constant  need  of  'reminders.'     A  speck,  a  spot,  a 

pin-prick  —  each  and  all  are  significant,  and But  is 

this  not  a  slight  abrasion  on  the  temple  here?  "  bending  over 
and,  with  his  glass,  examining  a  minute  reddish  speck  upon 
the  dead  man's  face.  ''Hum-m-m!  I  see,  I  see!  Have 
you  investigated  this  thing.  Doctor?     It  is  interesting." 

*'I  fail  to  see  the. point  of  interest,  then,"  replied  Doctor 
Hague,  bending  over  and  examining  the  spot.  ''The  skin  is 
scarcely  more  than  abraded  —  e\idently  by  the  finger  nail 
scratching  off  the  head  of  some  infinitesimal  pustiSle." 

"Possibly,"  agreed  Cleek,  "but  on  the  other  hand,  it  may 
be  something  of  a  totally  different  character  —  for  one 
thing,  the  possible  point  at  which  contact  was  established 
between  the  man's  blood  and  something  of  a  poisonous 
character.  An  injection  of  cyanide  of  potassium,  for  in- 
stance, would  cause  death,  and  account  in  a  measure  for  this 
suggestion  of  asphyxia  conveyed  by  the  expression  of  the 
features." 

"True,  my  good  sir;  but  have  the  goodness  to  ask  your- 
self who  could  get  into  the  place  to  administer  such  hypo- 
dermic? And,  if  self-administered,  what  can  have  become 
of  the  syringe?  If  thrown  from  one  of  the  bowman's  slits, 
it  could  only  have  fallen  upon  the  roof  of  the  wing,  and  I 
assure  you  that  was  searched  most  thoroughly  long  before 
your  arrival.  I  don't  think  you  will  go  so  far  as  to  suggest 
that  it  was  shot  in,  attached  to  some  steel  missile  capable  of 
making  a  wound;  for  no  such  missile  is,  as  you  see,  em- 
bedded in  the  flesh  nor  was  one  lying  anywhere  about  the 
floor.  The  cyanide  of  potassium  theory  is  ingenious,  but 
I'm  afraid  it  won't  hold  water." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      249 

"Hold  water!"  The  phrase  brought  Cleek's  thoughts 
harking  back  to  what  he  had  been  told  regarding  the  little 
puddle  of  water  lying  on  the  floor,  and  of  a  sudden  his  eyes 
narrowed,  and  the  curious  one-sided  smile  travelled  up  his 
cheek. 

''No,  I  suppose  not,"  he  said,  replying  to  the  doctor's 
remark.  *' Besides,  your  test  tubes  would  have  settled 
that  when  it  settled  the  carbon  monoxide  question.  Had 
cyanide  been  present,  the  specimens  of  blood  would  have 
been  clotted  and  blue." 

Of  a  sudden  it  seemed  to  dawn  upon  the  doctor  that  this 
didn't  smack  quite  so  much  of  Board  School  intelligence  as 
he  had  fancied,  and,  facing  round,  he  looked  at  Cleek  with 
a  new-born  interest. 

^'I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said,  ''but  I  don't  think  I 
caught  your  name,  Mr.  —  er  —  er " 

"  Cleek,  Doctor;  Hamilton  Cleek,  at  your  service." 

" Good  Lord!  That  is,  I  —  er  —  er  —  my  dear  sir,  my 
dear  Mr.  Cleek,  if  there  is  any  intelligence  I  can  possibly 
supply,  pray  command  me." 

"With  pleasure,  Doctor,  and  thank  you  very  much  in- 
deed for  the  kind  offer.  I  have  been  told  that  there  was  a 
little  puddle  of  water  on  the  floor  at  the  time  the  murder  was 
discovered,  also  that  you  took  a  sample  of  it  for  analysis. 
As  I  don't  see  any  sign  of  that  puddle  now,  would  you  mind 
telling  me  what  that  analysis  established.  I  have  heard,  I 
may  tell  you,  that  you  found  the  water  to  contain  no  poi- 
sonous substance;  but  I  should  be  obhged  if  you  can  tell  me 
if  it  was  water  drawn  from  a  well  or  such  as  might  have 
been  taken  from  a  river  or  pond." 

"As  a  matter  of  fact,  my  dear  Mr.  Cleek,  1  don't  think  it 
came  from  any  of  the  three." 

"Hum-m-m!    A  manufactured  mineral  water,  then?" 

"No,  not  that,  either.  If  it  had  been  raining  and  there 
was  any  hole  or  leak  in  this  roof,  I  should  have  said  it  was 


250  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

rain,water  that  had  dripped  in  and  formed  a  Httle  puddle  on 
the  floor.  If  it  had  been  winter,  I  should  have  said  it  was 
the  result  of  melted  snow.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  inchne 
more  to  the  latter  theory  than  to  any  other,  although  it  is 
absurd,  of  course,  to  think  of  snow  being  obtainable  any- 
where in  England  in  the  month  of  July." 

''Quite  so,  quite  so  —  unless  —  it  doesn't  matter.  That's 
all,  thank  you.  Doctor,  and  very  many  thanks." 

"A  word,  please,  Mr.  Cleek,"  interposed  the  doctor  as 
he  turned  to  move  away  and  leave  him.  "I  am  afraid  I 
was  not  very  communicative  nor  very  cordial  when  you 
asked  me  if  I  had  any  idea  of  the  means  employed  to  bring 
about  the  unfortunate  man's  death;  may  I  hope  that  you 
will  be  better  mannered  than  I,  Mr.  Cleek,  if  I  ask  you  if 
you  have?    Thanks,  very  much.     Then,  have  you?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Cleek.  "And  so,  too,  will  you,  if  you  will 
make  a  second  blood  test,  with  the  specimens  you  have,  at  a 
period  of  about  forty-eight  hours  after  the  time  of  decease. 
It  will  take  quite  that  before  the  presence  of  the  thing  mani- 
fests itself  under  the  influence  of  any  known  process  or 
responds  to  any  known  test.  And  even  then  it  will  only  be 
detected  by  a  faintly  alcoholic  odour  and  excessively  bitter 
taste.  The  man  has  been  murdered* —  done  to  death  by 
that  devil's  drug  woorali,  if  I  am  not  mistaken.  But  who 
administered  it  and  how  it  was  administered  are  things  I 
can't  tell  you  yet." 

"WooraK!  WooraH!  That  is  the  basis  of  the  drug  cu- 
rarin,  produced  by  RouHn  and  Boussingault  in  1828  from  a 
combination  of  the  alKed  poisons  known  to  the  savages  of 
South  America  and  of  the  tropics  by  the  names  of  cor- 
roval  and  vao,  is  it  not?" 

"Yes.  And  a  fiend's  thing  it  is,  too.  A  m.ere  scratch 
from  anything  steeped  in  it  is  enough  to  kill  an  ox  almost 
immediately.  The  favourite  'native'  manner  of  using  the 
heUish  thing  is  by  means  of  a  thorn  and  a  blowpipe.     But 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  251 

no  such  method  has  been  employed  in  this  case.  No  thorn 
nor,  indeed,  any  other  projectile  has  entered  the  flesh,  nor 
is  there  one  lying  anywhere  about  the  floor.  Be  sure  I 
looked.  Doctor,  the  instant  I  suspected  that  woorali  had 
been  used.  Pardon  me,  but  that  must  be  all  for  the  pres- 
ent.   I  have  other  fish  to  fry." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  '' frying"  of  them  took  the  shape  of  first  gomg  out- 
side and  walking  round  the  Stone  Drum,  and  then  of 
stepping  back  to  the  door  and  beckoning  Narkom  and  Lord 
Fallowfield  and  young  James  Drake  out  to  him. 

*  ^Anybody  in  the  habit  of  sitting  out  here  to  read  or 
paint  or  anything  of  that  sort?  "  he  asked  abruptly. 

" Good  gracious,  no! "  repHed  Lord  Fallowfield.  '^What- 
ever makes  you  ask  such  a  tiling  as  that,  Mr.  Cleek?  " 

*' Nothing,  only  that  I  have  found  four  httle  marks  dis- 
posed of  at  such  regular  distances  that  they  seem  to  have 
been  made  by  the  four  legs  of  a  chair  resting,  with  a  rather 
heavy  weight  upon  it,  on  the  leads  of  the  roof  and  immedi- 
ately under  one  of  the  bowman's  slits  in  the  Stone  Drum. 
A  chair  with  casters,  I  should  imagine,  from  the  character 
of  the  marks.  We  are  on  a  level  with  the  sleeping  quar- 
ters of  the  servants  in  the  house  proper,  I  believe,  and  chairs 
with  casters  are  not  usual  in  servants'  bedrooms  in  most 
houses.     Are  they  so  here?" 

''Certainly  not,"  put  in  young  Drake.  ''Why,  I  don't 
believe  there  is  a  chair  with  casters  on  the  whole  blessed 
floor.     Is  there.  Lord  Fallowfield?     You  ought  to  know." 

"Yes,  there  is,  Jim.  There  are  three  in  fact;  they  all 
are  in  the  old  armoury.  Been  there  a  dog's  age;  and  they 
so  matched  the  old  place  your  poor  father  never  had  them 
taken  out." 

"The  'old  armoury'?  What's  that,  your  lordship,  may 
I  ask?" 

"Oh,  a  relic  of  the  old  feudal  times,  Mr.  Cleek.   You  see, 

252 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  253 

on  account  of  the  position  of  the  Stone  Drum,  the  weapon 
room,  or  arming-room,  had  to  be  up  here  on  a  level  with  the 
wing  roof,  instead  of  below  stairs,  as  in  the  case  of  other 
lowers.'  That's  the  place  over  there  —  the  window  just 
to  the  left  of  the  door  leading  into  the  building  proper.  It 
is  full  of  the  old  battle  flags,  knights'  pennants,  shields, 
cross-bows,  and  the  Lord  knows  what  of  those  old  days  of 
primitive  warfare.  We  Fallowfields  always  preserved  it, 
just  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  its  usefulness,  for  its  historical 
interest  and  its  old  association  with  the  name.  Like  to 
have  a  look  at  it?" 

''Very  much  indeed,"  replied  Cleek,  and  two  minutes 
later  he  was  standing  in  the  place  and  revelHng  in  its  air  of 
antiquity. 

As  Lord  Fallowfield  had  declared,  the  three  old  chairs 
which  supplied  seating  accommodation  were  equipped  with 
casters,  but  although  these  were  the  prime  reason  for  Cleek's 
visit  to  the  place,  he  gave  them  little  more  than  a  passing 
glance,  bestowing  all  his  attention  upon  the  ancient  shields 
and  the  quaint  old  cross-bows  with  which  the  walls  were 
heavily  hung  in  tier  after  tier  almost  to  the  groined  ceil- 
ing. 

''Primitive  times,  Mr.  Narkom,  when  men  used  to  go 
out  with  these  jimcrack  things  and  bang  away  at  each 
other  mth  skewers!"  he  said,  taking  one  of  them  down  and 
examining  it  in  a  somewhat  casual  manner,  turning  it  over, 
testing  its  weight,  looking  at  its  catch,  and  running  his  fin- 
gers up  and  down  the  propelling  string.  "Fancy  a  chap 
with  one  of  these  things  running  up  against  a  modern  bat- 
tery or  sailing  out  into  a  storm  of  shrapnel!  Back  to  your 
hook,  grandfather"  —  hanging  it  up  again  —  "  times  change 
and  we  with  time.  By  the  way,  your  lordship,  I  hope  you 
will  be  better  able  to  give  an  account  of  your  whereabouts 
last  night  than  I  hear  that  Mr.  Drake  here  is  able  to  do 
regarding  his." 


254  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

"I?  Good  heavens,  man,  what  do  you  mean?"  flung 
out  his  lordship,  so  taken  aback  by  the  abruptness  of  the 
remark  that  the  very  breath  seemed  to  be  knocked  out  of 
him.     ''Upon  my  soul,  Mr.  Cleek " 

''Gently,  gently,  your  lordship.  You  must  certainly  re- 
alize  that  in  the  circumstances  the  same  necessity  must 
exist  for  you  to  explain  your  movements  as  exists  for  Mr. 
Drake.  I  am  told  that  in  the  event  of  the  elder  Mr.  Drake's 
death  this  property  was  to  come  to  you  wholly  unencum- 
bered by  any  charge  or  any  restrictions  whatsoever." 

"Good  God!  So  it  was.  Upon  my  soul,  I'd  forgotten 
all  about  that!"  exclaimed  his  lordship  with  such  an  air 
that  he  was  either  speaking  the  absolute  truth  or  was  a  very 
good  actor  indeed. 

"Jim!  My  boy!  Oh,  good  heavens!  I  never  gave  the 
thing  a  thought  —  never  one!  No,  Mr.  Cleek,  I  can  give 
no  account  of  my  movements  other  than  to  say  that  I  went 
to  bed  directly  I  left  the  Stone  Drum.  Or  —  yes.  I  can 
prove  that  much,  by  George!  I  can,  indeed.  Ojeebi  was 
with  me,  or,  at  least,  close  at  my  heels  at  the  time,  and  he 
saw  me  go  into  my  room,  and  must  have  heard  me  lock 
the  door." 

"Ojeebi?    Who  is  he?" 

"My  father's  Japanese  valet,"  put  in  young  Drake. 
"Been  with  him  for  the  past  five  years.  If  he  tells  you 
that  he  saw  Lord  Fallowfield  go  into  his  room  and  lock  the 
door  after  him,  you  can  rely  upon  that  as  an  absolute  and 
irrefutable  truth.  'Whitest'  Httle  yellow  man  that  ever 
walked  on  two  feet;  faithful  as  a  dog,  and  as  truthful  as 
they  make  'em." 

"And  they  don't  make  'em  any  too  truthful,  as  a  rule, 
in  his  country,  by  Jove!"  said  Cleek.     "Still,  of  course,  as 

he  could  not  possibly  have  anything  to  gain Call 

him  up,  will  you,  and  let  us  hear  what  he  has  to  say  with 
regard  to  Lord  Fallowfield's  statement." 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  ^55 

Young  Drake  rang  for  a  servant,  issued  the  necessary- 
order,  and  some  five  or  six  minutes  later  a  timid  little  yel- 
low man  with  the  kindest  face  and  the  most  gentle  step  a 
man  could  possess  came  into  the  room,  his  soft  eyes  red- 
dened with  much  weeping,  and  tear-stains  marking  his  sal- 
low cheeks. 

''Oh,  Mr.  Jim!  Oh,  Mr.  Jim!  the  dear,  kind  old  'boss'l 
He  gone !  he  gone ! "  he  broke  out  disconsolately  as  he  caught 
sight  of  his  late  master's  son,  and  made  as  if  to  prostrate 
himself  before  him. 

''That's  all  right,  Ojeebi  —  that's  all  right,  old  man!'' 
interrupted  young  Drake,  with  a  smothered  "blub"  in  his 
voice  and  a  twitching  movement  of  his  mouth.  "Cut  it 
out !  I'm  not  iron.  Say,  this  gentleman  wants  to  ask  you  a 
few  questions,  Ojeebi;  deliver  the  goods  just  as  straight  as 
you  know  how." 

"Me,  Mr.  Jim?  Gentleman  want  question  me?"  The 
small  figure  turned,  the  kindly  face  lifted,  and  the  sorrowful 
eyes  looked  up  into  Cleek's  unemotional  ones. 

"Yes,"  said  he  placidly;  and  forthwith  told  him  what 
Lord  Fallowfield  claimed. 

"That  very  true,"  declared  Ojeebi.  "The  lord  gentle- 
man he  right  ahead  of  me.  I  see  him  go  into  his  room  and 
hear  him  lock  door.     That  very  true  indeed." 

"  H'm !     Any  idea  of  the  time?  " 

"Yes  —  much  idea.  Two  minutes  a-past  twelve.  I  see 
clock  as  I  go  past  Lady  Marj'ie's  room." 

"What  were  you  doing  knocking  about  that  part  of  the 
house  at  that  hour  of  the  night?  Your  room's  up  here  in 
the  servant's  quarters,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes,  sir.  But  I  go  take  ice- water  to  the  boss's  room. 
Boss  never  go  to  bed  nights  without  ice- water  handy,  sir. 
'Merican  boss  never  do." 

"Yes!  Quite  so,  quite  so!  Where  did  you  get  the  ice 
rom  —  and  how?     Chop  it  from  a  big  cake?" 


^56  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''No,  sir.  It  always  froze  to  fit  bottle.  I  get  him  from 
the  ice-make  room  downstairs." 

*'He  means  the  refrigerating  room,  Mr.  Cleek,"  explained 
young  Drake.  "You  know,  I  take  it,  what  a  necessary 
commodity  we  Americans  hold  ice  to  be.  Indeed,  the  dear 
old  dad  wouldn't  think  a  dinner  was  a  dinner  without  ice- 
water  on  the  table,  and  ice-cream  for  the  final  course.  And 
as  there  was  no  possibility  of  procuring  a  regular  and  ade- 
quate supply  in  an  out-of-the-way  spot  like  this,  he  had  a 
complete  artificial  ice-making  plant  added  to  the  place,  and 
overcame  the  difficulty  in  that  way.  That  is  what  Ojeebi 
means  by  the  'ice-make  room.^  What  he  means  about  its 
being  frozen  to  fit  the  bottles  is  this:  The  ice  which  is  to 
be  used  for  drinking  purposes  is  manufactured  in  forms 
or  vessels  which  turn  it  out  in  cubes,  so  that  whenever 
it  is  wanted  all  that  a  servant  has  to  do  is  to  go  to  the 
plant,  and  the  man  in  charge  suppHes  him  with  all  the  cubes 
required." 

''Ah,  I  see,"  said  Cleek,  and  stroked  his  chin.  "Well, 
that's  all,  I  reckon,  for  the  time  being.  Ojeebi  has  cer- 
tainly  backed  up  your  statement  to  the  fullest,  your  lord- 
ship, so  we  can  dispense  with  him  entirely.  And  now,  if  I 
have  your  permission,  gentlemen,  I  should  Hke  to  feel  my- 
self privileged  to  go  poking  about  the  house  and  grounds  for 
the  next  hour  or  so  in  quest  of  possible  clues.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  I  will  rejoin  you  here,  and  shall  hope  to  have 
something  definite  to  report.     So  if  you  don't  mind  my 

going Thanks  very  much.     Come  along,  Mr.  Nar- 

kom.  I've  a  Httle  something  for  you  to  do,  and  —  an  hour 
will  do  it,  or  I'm  a  dogberry." 

With  that  he  took  his  departure  from  the  armoury  and, 
with  the  superintendent  following,  went  down  through  the 
house  to  the  grounds  and  out  into  the  screen  of  close  crowd- 
ing, view-defying  trees. 

Here  he  paused  a  minute  to  puU  out  his  notebook  and 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  257 

scribble  something  on  a  leaf,  and  then  to  tear  out  that  leaf 
and  put  it  into  Mr.  Narkom's  hand. 

"Rush  Lennard  off  to  the  post-office  with  that,  will  you? 
and  have  it  wired  up  to  town  as  soon  as  possible,"  he  said. 
"Prepay  the  reply,  and  get  that  reply  back  to  me  as  soon  as 
telegraph  and  motor  can  get  it  here." 

Then  he  swung  off  out  of  the  screen  of  the  trees  and  round 
the  angle  of  the  building,  and  set  about  hunting  for  the 
refrigerating  plant. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

IT  WAS  five  and  after  when  the  superintendent,  pale  and 
shaking  with  excitement,  came  up  the  long  drive  from 
the  Hall  gates  and  found  Cleek  lounging  in  the  doorway  of 
the  house,  placidly  smoking  a  cigarette  and  twirHng  a  Uttle 
ball  of  crumpled  newspaper  in  his  hand. 

''Right  was  I,  Mr.  Narkom?"  he  queried  smilingly. 

"Good  God,  yes!  Right  as  rain,  old  chap.  Been  carry- 
ing it  for  upward  of  a  twelvemonth,  and  no  doubt  waiting 
for  an  opportunity  to  strike." 

''Good!  And  while  you  have  been  attending  to  your 
little  part  of  the  business  I've  been  looking  out  for  mine, 
dear  friend.  Look!"  said  Cleek,  and  opened  up  the  little 
ball  of  paper  sufficiently  to  show  what  looked  Hke  a  cut-glass 
scent  bottle  belonging  to  a  lady's  dressing-bag  close  stoppered 
with  a  metal  plug  sealed  round  with  candle  wax.  "  Woorali, 
my  friend;  and  enough  in  it  to  kill  an  army.  Come  along  — 
we've  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  thing,  let  us  go  up  and 
'report.'     The  gentlemen  will  be  getting  anxious." 

They  were ;  for  on  reaching  the  armoury  they  found  young 
Drake  and  Lord  Fallowfield  showing  strong  traces  of  the 
mental  strain  under  which  they  were  labouring  and  talking 
agitatedly  with  Lady  Marjorie  Wynde,  who  had,  in  the 
interim,  come  up  and  joined  them,  and  was  herself  appar- 
ently in  need  of  something  to  sustain  and  to  strengthen  her; 
for  Ojeebi  was  standing  by  with  an  extended  salver,  from 
which  she  had  just  lifted  to  her  hps  a  glass  of  port. 

"Good  God!  I  never  was  so  glad  to  see  anybody  in  my 
life,  gentlemen,"  broke  out  young  Drake  as  they  appeared. 

£58 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  259 

*^It's  beyond  the  hour  you  asked  for  —  ages  beyond  —  and 
my  nerves  are  ahnost  pricking  their  way  through  my  skin. 
Mr.  Cleek  —  Mr.  Narkom  —  speak  up,  for  heaven's  sake. 
Have  you  succeeded  in  finding  out  anything?" 

*^ We've  done  better  than  that,  Mr.  Drake,"  replied 
Cleek,  *'for  we  have  succeeded  in  finding  out  everything. 
Look  sharp  there,  Mr.  Narkom,  and  shut  that  door.  Lady 
Marjorie  looks  as  if  she  were  going  to  faint,  and  we  don't 
want  a  whole  houseful  of  servants  piling  in  here.  That's 
it.  Back  against  the  door,  please;  her  ladyship  seems  on 
the  point  of  crumpling  up." 

"No,  no,  I'm  not;  indeed,  I'm  not!"  protested  Lady 
Marjorie  with  a  forced  smile  and  a  feeble  effort  to  hold  her 
galloping  nerves  in  check.  "I  am  excited  and  very  much 
upset,  of  course,  but  I  am  really  much  stronger  than  you 
would  think.  Still,  if  you  would  rather  I  should  leave  the 
room,  Mr.  Cleek " 

"Oh,  by  no  means,  your  ladyship.  I  know  how  anxious 
you  are  to  learn  the  result  of  my  investigations.  And,  by 
that  token,  somebody  else  is  anxious,  too  —  the  doctor. 
Call  him  in,  will  you,  Mr.  Drake?  He  is  still  with  the 
others  in  the  Stone  Drum,  I  assume." 

He  was;  and  he  came  out  of  it  with  them  at  young 
Drake's  call,  and  joined  the  party  in  the  armoury. 

"Doctor,"  said  Cleek,  looking  up  as  he  came  in,  "we've 
got  to  the  puzzle's  unpicking,  and  I  thought  you'd  be  inter- 
ested to  hear  the  result.  I  was  right  about  the  substance 
employed,  for  I've  found  the  stuff  and  I've  nailed  the  guilty 
party.  It  was  woorali,  and  the  reason  why  there  was  no 
trace  of  a  weapon  was  because  the  blessed  thing  melted. 
It  was  an  icicle,  my  friend,  an  icicle  with  its  point  steeped 
in  woorali,  and  if  you  want  to  know  how  it  did  its  work  — 
why,  it  was  shot  in  there  from  the  cross-bow  hanging  on  the 
wall  immediately  behind  me,  and  the  person  who  shot  it 
in  was  so  short  that  a  chair  was  necessary  to  get  up  to 


260       CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

the  bowman's  slit  when No,  you  don't,  my  beauty! 

There's  a  gentleman  with  a  noose  waiting  to  pay  his  respects 
to  all  such  beasts  as  you!" 

Speaking,  he  sprang  with  a  sharp,  flashing  movement 
that  was  like  to  nothing  so  much  as  the  leap  of  a  pouncing 
cat,  and  immediately  there  was  a  yap  and  a  screech,  a  yell 
and  a  struggle,  a  click  of  clamping  handcuffs,  and  a  scuffle 
of  writhing  Hmbs,  and  a  moment  later  they  that  were 
watching  saw  him  rise  with  a  laugh,  and  stand,  with  his 
hands  on  his  hips,  looking  down  at  Ojeebi  lying  crumpled 
up  in  a  heap,  with  gyves  on  his  wrists  and  panic  in  his  eyes, 
at  the  foot  of  the  guarded  door. 

"  Wefl,  my  pleasant-faced,  agreeable  httle  demon,  it'fl  be 
many  a  long  day  before  the  spirits  of  your  ancestors  wel- 
come you  back  to  Nippon!"  Cleek  said  as  the  panic- 
stricken  Jap,  realizing  what  was  before  him,  began  to  shriek 
and  shriek  until  his  brain  and  nerves  sank  into  a  collapse 
and  he  fainted  where  he  lay.  "I've  got  you  and  I've  got 
the  woorah.  I  went  through  your  trunk  and  found  it  —  as 
I  knew  I  should  from  the  moment  I  clapped  eyes  upon 
you.  If  the  laws  of  the  country  are  so  lax  that  they  make  it 
possible  for  you  to  do  what  you  have  done,  they  also  are 
stringent  enough  to  make  you  pay  the  price  of  it  with  your 
yellow  Httle  neck!" 

''In  the  name  of  heaven,  Mr.  Cleek,"  spoke  up  young 
Drake,  breaking  silence  suddenly,  ''what  can  the  boy  have 
done?  You  speak  as  if  it  were  he  that  murdered  my  father; 
but,  man,  why  should  he?  What  had  he  to  gain?  What 
motive  could  a  harmless  little  chap  like  this  have  for  killing 
the  man  he  served?" 

"The  strongest  in  the  world,  my  friend  —  the  greed  of 
gain ! "  said  Cleek.  "What  he  could  not  do  in  your  father's 
land  it  is  possible  for  him  to  do  in  this  one,  which  foolishly 
allows  its  subjects  to  insure  even  the  life  of  its  ruler  with- 
out his  will,  knowledge,  or  consent.     For  nearly  a  twelve- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  261 

month  this  little  brute  has  been  carrying  a  heavy  insurance 
upon  the  Hfe  of  Jefferson  P.  Drake;  but,  thank  God,  he'll 
never  live  to  collect  it.  What's  that.  Doctor?  How  did  I 
find  that  out?     By  the  simplest  means  possible,  my  dear  sir. 

^'For  a  reason  which  concerns  nobody  but  myself,  I 
dropped  in  at  the  Guildford  office  of  the  Royal  British  Life 
Assurance  Society  in  the  latter  part  of  last  May,  and  upon 
that  occasion  I  marked  the  singular  circumstance  that  a 
Japanese  was  then  paying  the  premium  of  an  already  exist- 
ing policy.  Why  I  speak  of  it  as  a  singular  circumstance, 
and  why  I  let  myself  be  impressed  by  it,  lie  in  the  fact  that, 
as  the  Japanese  regard  their  dead  ancestors  with  absolute 
veneration  and  the  privilege  of  being  united  with  them  a 
boon  which  makes  death  glorious,  life  assurance  is  not 
popular  with  them,  since  it  seems  to  be  insulting  their 
ancestors  and  makes  joining  them  tainted  with  the  odour 
of  baser  things.  Consequently,  I  felt  pretty  certain  that 
it  was  some  other  life  than  his  own  he  was  there  to  pay  the 
regularly  recurring  premium  upon.  The  chances  are, 
Doctor,  that  in  the  ordinary  run  of  things  I  should  never 
have  thought  of  that  man  or  that  circumstance  again. 
But  it  so  happens  that  I  have  a  very  good  memory  for  faeces 
and  events,  so  when  I  came  down  here  to  investigate  this 
case,  and  in  the  late  Mr.  Drake's  valet  saw  that  Japanese 
man  again  —  voila !  I  should  have  been  an  idiot  not  to  put 
two  and  two  together. 

*'The  remainder,  a  telegram  inquiring  if  an  insurance 
upon  the  life  of  Jefferson  P.  Drake,  the  famous  inventor, 
had  been  effected  by  anybody  but  the  man  himself,  settled 
the  thing  beyond  question.  As  for  the  rest,  it  is  easy 
enough  to  explain.  Your  remark  that  the  little  puddle 
found  upon  the  floor  of  the  Stone  Drum  appeared  to  you  to 
bear  a  distinct  resemblance  to  the  water  resulting  from 
melted  snow,  added  to  what  I  already  knew  regarding  the  re- 
frigerating plant  installed  here,  put  me  on  the  track  of  the 


262  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

ice;  and  as  the  small  spot  on  the  temple  was  of  so  minute  a 
character,  I  knew  that  the  weapon  must  have  been  pointed. 
A  pointed  weapon  of  ice  leaves  but  one  conclusion  possible, 
Doctor.  I  have  since  learned  from  the  man  in  charge  of 
the  refrigerating  plant  that  this  yellow  blob  of  iniquity  here 
was  much  taken  by  the  icicles  which  the  process  of  refrigera- 
tion caused  to  accumulate  in  the  place  and  upon  the  ma- 
chine itself  during  rotation,  and  that  last  night  shortly 
after  twelve  o'clock  he  came  down  and  broke  off  and  car- 
ried away  three  of  them.  How  I  came  to  know  what 
motive  power  he  employed  to  launch  the  poisoned  shaft 
can  be  explained  in  a  word.  Most  of  the  weapons  — 
indeed,  all  but  one  —  hanging  on  the  wall  of  this  armoury 
are  lightly  coated  with  dust,  showing  that  it  must  be  a  week 
or  more  since  any  housemaid's  work  was  attended  to  in  this 
particular  quarter.  One  of  them  is  not  dusty.  Further- 
more, when  I  took  it  down  for  the  purpose  of  examining  it 
I  discovered  that,  although  smeared  with  ink  or  paint  to 
make  it  look  as  old  as  the  others,  the  bowstring  was  of  fresh 
catgut,  and  there  was  a  suspicious  dampness  about  the 
'catch,'  which  suggested  either  wet  hands  or  the  partial 
melting,  under  the  heat  of  living  flesh,  of  the  'shaft,'  which 
had  been  an  icicle.  That's  all,  Doctor;  that's  all,  Mr. 
Drake;  that's  quite  all.  Lord  Fallowfield.  A  good,  true- 
hearted  young  chap  will  get  both  the  girl  he  wants  and  the 
inheritance  which  should  be  his  by  right;  a  good,  true  friend 
will  get  back  the  ancestral  home  he  lost  through  misfor- 
tune and  has  regained  through  chance,  and  a  patient  and 
faithful  lady  will,  in  all  probability,  get  the  man  she  loves 
Vvithout  now  having  to  wait  until  he  comes  into  a  dead  man's 
shoes.  Lady  Marjorie,  my  compHments.  Doctor,  my  best 
respects,  and  gentlemen  all  —  good  afternoon." 

And  here  with  that  weakness  for  the  theatrical  which 
was  his  besetting  sin,  he  bowed  to  them  with  his  hat  laid 
over  his  heart,  and  walked  out  of  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

"XTO,  MR.  NARKOM,  no.  As  an  instrument  of  death 
-*-  ^  the  icicle  is  not  new,"  said  Cleek,  answering  the  super- 
intendent's question  as  the  limousine  swung  out  through  the 
gates  of  Heatherington  Hall  and  faced  the  long  journey  back 
to  London.  ''If  you  will  look  up  the  records  of  that  ener- 
getic female,  Catherine  de  Medici,  Queen  of  France,  you 
will  find  that  she  employed  it  in  that  capacity  upon  two 
separate  occasions;  and  coming  down  to  more  modern 
times,  you  will  also  find  that  in  the  year  1872  the  Russian, 
Lydia  Bolorfska,  used  it  at  GaHtch,  in  the  province  of 
Kostroma,  to  stab  her  sleeping  husband.  But  as  a  pro- 
jectile, it  is  new  —  as  a  successful  projectile,  I  mean  —  for 
there  have  been  many  attempts  made,  owing  to  its  propen- 
sity to  dissolve  after  use,  to  discharge  it  from  firearms,  but 
never  in  one  single  instance  have  those  attempts  resulted  in 
success.  The  explosion  has  always  resulted  in  shivering 
and  dispersing  it  in  a  shower  of  spHnters  as  it  leaves  the 
muzzle  of  the  weapon.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however, 
that  could  it  be  propelled  in  a  perfectly  horizontal  position, 
the  power  behind  it  would,  in  spite  of  its  brittle  nature,  drive 
it  through  a  pine  board  an  inch  thick.  But,  as  I  have  said, 
the  motive  power  always  defeats  the  object  by  landing  it 
against  the  target  in  a  mass  of  splinters.'^ 

''  I  see.  And  the  Jap  got  over  that  by  employing  a  cross- 
bow; and  that,  of  course,  did  the  trick." 

''No.  I  doubt  if  he  would  have  been  able  to  put  enough 
power  behind  that  to  drive  it  into  the  man's  body  with 
deadly  effect,  if,  indeed,  he  could  make  it  enter  it  at  all. 

263 


264      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Where  Ojeebi  scored  over  all  others  lay  in  the  fact  that  with 
his  plan  there  was  no  necessity  to  have  the  icicle  enter  the 
victim's  body  at  all.  He  required  nothing  more  than  just 
sufficient  power  of  propulsion  to  break  the  skin  and  estab- 
lish contact  with  the  blood,  and  then  that  hellish  com- 
pound on  the  point  of  the  projectile  could  be  depended  upon 
to  do  the  rest.  It  did,  as  you  know,  and  then  dropped  to 
the  floor  and  melted  away,  leaving  nothing  but  a  little  pud- 
dle of  water  behind  it." 

''But,  Cleek,  my  dear  chap,  how  do  you  account  for  the 
fact  that  when  the  doctor  came  to  analyze  that  water  he 
found  no  trace  of  the  poison  in  it?  " 

''He  did,  Mr.  Narkom,  only  that  he  didn't  recognize  it. 
Woorali  is  extremely  volatile,  for  one  thing,  and  evaporates 
rapidly.  For  another,  there  was  a  very  small  quantity 
used  —  a  very  small  quantity  necessary,  so  mahgnant  it  is 
—  and  the  water  furnished  by  the  melting  icicle  could  dilute 
that  Httle  tremendously.  It  would  not  be  able  to  obHter- 
ate  all  trace  of  it,  however,  but  the  infinitesimal  portion  re- 
maining would  make  spring  water  give  the  same  answer  in 
analysis  as  that  given  by  the  water  resulting  from  melted 
snow.  It  was  when  Doctor  Hague  mentioned  the  fact  that 
if  it  wasn't  for  the  utter  absurdity  of  looking  for  such  a  sub- 
stance in  England  in  July,  he  should  have  said  it  was  melted 
snow,  that  I  really  got  my  first  clue.     Later,  however, 

when But  come,  let's  chuck  it!     I've  had  enough  of 

murder  and  murderers  for  one  day  —  let's  talk  of  something 
else.  Our  new  'turnout,'  here,  for  instance.  You  have 
'  done  yourself  proud '  this  time  and  no  mistake  —  she  cer- 
tainly is  a  beauty,  Mr.  Narkom.  By  the  way,  what  have 
you  done  with  the  old  red  one?     Sold  it?  " 

"Not  I,  indeed.  I  knov/  a  trick  worth  two  of  that.  I 
send  it  out,  empty,  every  day,  in  the  hope  of  having  those 
Apache  johnnies  follow  it,  and  have  a  plain-clothes  man 
trailing  along  beliind  in  a  taxi,  ready  to  nip  in  and  follow 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      265 

them  if  they  do.  But  they  don't  —  that  is,  they  haven^t  up 
to  the  present;  but  there's  always  hope,  you  know." 

^'Not  in  that  direction,  I'm  afraid.  Waldemar's  a  better 
general  than  that,  believe  me.  Knowing  that  we  have  dis- 
covered his  little  plan  of  following  the  red  limousine  just  as 
we  discovered  his  other,  of  following  me,  he  will  have  gone 
off  on  another  tack,  believe  me." 

^'Scotland !  You  don't  think,  do  you,  that  he  can  possibly 
have  found  out  anything  about  the  new  one  and  has  set  in 
to  follow ////5.?" 

"  No,  I  do  not.  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  fancy  he  has  started 
to  do  what  he  ought  to  have  done  in  the  beginning  —  that 
is,  to  keep  a  close  watch  on  the  criminal  news  in  the  papers 
day  by  day,  and  every  time  a  crime  of  any  importance  crops 
up,  pay  his  respects  to  the  theatre  of  it  and  find  out  who  is 
the  detective  handling  the  case.  A  ducat  to  a  doughnut 
he'd  have  been  on  our  heels  down  here  to-day  if  this  little 
business  of  the  Stone  Drum  had  been  made  public  in  time 
to  get  into  the  morning  papers.  He  means  to  have  me,  Mr. 
Narkom,  if  having  me  is  possible;  and  he's  down  to  the  last 
ditch  and  getting  desperate.  Yesterday's  cables  from 
Mauravania  are  anything  but  reassuring." 

''I  know.  They  say  that  unless  something  happens  very 
shortly  to  turn  the  tide  in  Ulric's  favour  and  quell  the  cries 
for  'Restoration,'  the  King's  downfall  and  expulsion  are 
merely  a  matter  of  a  few  days  at  most.  But  what's  that 
got  to  do  with  it  that  you  suggest  its  bearing  upon  any  need 
for  haste  on  Waldemar's  part?  " 

*'Only  that,  with  matters  in  such  a  state,  he  cannot  long 
defer  his  return  to  the  army  of  his  country  and  the  defence 
of  its  king,"  replied  Cleek,  serenely.  "And  every  day  he 
loses  in  failing  to  pay  his  respects  to  your  humble  servant 
in  the  manner  he  desires  to  do  increases  the  strain  of 
the  situation  and  keeps  him  from  the  service  of  his  royal 
master." 


£66  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

*'Well,  I  wish  to  God  something  would  happen  to  blow 
him  and  his  royal  master  and  their  blooming  royal  country 
off  the  map,  dammem!''  blazed  out  Narkom,  too  savage  to 
be  choice  of  words.  *' We've  never  had  a  moment's  peace, 
you  and  I,  since  the  dashed  combination  came  into  the 
game.  And  for  what,  I  should  like  to  know?  Not  that 
it's  any  use  asking  you.  You're  so  devihsh  close-mouthed  a 
man' might  as  well  ask  questions  of  a  ton  of  coal  for  all  an- 
swer he  may  hope  to  get.  I  shall  always  beheve,  however, 
that  you  did  something  pretty  dashed  bad  to  the  King  of 
Mauravania  that  time  you  were  over  there  on  that  business 
about  the  Rainbow  Pearl,  to  make  the  beggar  turn  against 
you,  as  I  believe  he  /^a^." 

*'Then,  you  will  always  believe  what  isn't  true,"  replied 
Cleek,  lighting  a  fresh  cigarette.  *'I  simply  restored  the 
pearl  and  his  Majesty's  letter  to  the  hands  of  Count  Irma, 
and  did  not  so  much  as  see  the  King  while  I  was  there.  Why 
should  I?  —  a  mere  poKce  detective,  who  had  been  hired 
to  do  a  service  and  paid  for  it  like  any  other  hireling.  I 
took  my  money  and  I  went  my  way;  that's  all  there  was 
about  it.  If  it  has  pleased  Count  Waldemar  to  entertain 
an  ugly  feehng  of  resentment  toward  me,  I  can't  help  that, 
can  I  now?" 

*^0h,  then,  it's  really  a  personal  affair  between  you  and 
him,  after  all?" 

'^Something  like  that.  He  doesn't  approve  of  my —  er 
—  knowing  things  that  I  do  know;  and  it  would  be  the  end 
of  a  very  promising  future  for  him  if  I  told.  Here  —  have  a 
cigarette  and  smoke  yourself  into  a  better  temper.  You 
look  savage  enough  to  bite  a  nail  in  two." 

"I'd  bite  it  in  four  if  it  looked  anything  hke  that  Walde- 
mar Johnnie,  by  James!"  asserted  the  superintendent,  vig- 
orously.    "And  if  ever  he  lays  a  hand  on  you Look 

here,  Cleek:  I  know  it  sounds  un-EngHsh,  very  Continental, 
rotten  *soft'  from  one  man  to  another,  but  —  dammit, 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  267 

Cleek,  I  love  you!     I'd  go  to  hell  for  you!    I'd  die  fighting 
for  you!     Do  you  understand?'* 

^'Perfectly/'  said  Cleek;  then  he  put  out  his  hand  and 
took  Mr.  Narkom's  in  a  hard,  firm  grip,  and  added,  gently: 
*'My  friend,  my  comrade,  my  pal!  Side  by  side  —  to- 
gether —  to  the  end."  And  the  car  ran  on  for  a  good  half 
mile  before  either  spoke  again. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

MR.  NARKOM!" 
It  was  an  hour  later,  and  Cleek's  voice  broke  the 
silence  abruptly.  He  had  taken  out  his  notebook  and  had 
been  scribbhng  in  it  for  some  little  time,  but  now,  as  he 
spoke,  he  tore  out  the  written  leaf  and  passed  it  over  to  the 
superintendent. 

"Mr.  Narkom,  I  refused,  in  the  beginning,  to  give  you  the 
address  of  the  little  house  at  which  I  was  located.  Here  it 
is.  Put  it  in  your  pocketbook  against  future  need,  will 
you?" 

*'Yes,  certainly.  But  cinnamon!  old  chap,  what  good  is 
it  to  me  now  when  you've  left  the  place?" 

"You  will  understand,  perhaps,  when  I  tell  you  that  Miss 
Lome  is  its  present  occupant.  It  was  for  that  I  took  it  in 
the  beginning.  There  may  come  a  need  to  communicate 
with  her;  there  may  come  a  need  for  her  to  communicate 
with  you.  There's  always  a  chance,  you  know,  that  a 
candle  may  be  put  out  when  the  w^ind  blows  at  it  from  all 
directions ;  and  if  anything  should  happen  —  I  mean  if  — 
er  —  anything  having  a  bearing  upon  me  personally  that 
you  think  she  ought  to  be  told  should  come  to  pass  —  well, 
just  go  to  her  at  once,  will  you?  —  there's  a  dear  friend. 
That's  the  address  (don't  lose  it)  and  full  directions  how  to 
get  there  speedily.  I  am  giving  it  to  you  now,  as  we  shall 
soon  be  in  town  again  and  I  shall  leave  you  directly  we 
arrive  there.  I'm  in  haste  to  get  back  to  Dollops  and  see 
if  between  us  we  can't  hit  upon  some  plan,  he  and  I,  to 
get  at  the  whereabouts  of  Waldemar.     That  plain-clothes 

268 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  ^69 

man  of  yours  is  like  the  butler  with  the  bottle  of  cider  — 
he  ^doesn't  seem  to  get  any  forrarder.'  " 

^'Kibble white!"  blurted  out  the  superintendent,  sitting 
up  sharply.  "Well,  of  all  the  born  jackasses,  of  ail  the 
mutton-heads  in  this  world " 

"Well,  he  doesn't  seem  to  be  very  bright,  I  must  say." 

"He?  Lud!  I  wasn't  talking  about  him;  I  was  talking 
about  myself.  I  had  something  to  tell  you  to-day,  and  this 
blessed  business  drove  it  clean  out  of  my  head.  Kibble- 
white  had  the  dickens  and  all  of  a  time  trying  to  get  at  that 
chap  Serpice,  as  you  may  remember?" 

"I  do  —  in  a  measure.  Succeeded  in  finding  out,  finally, 
that  the  carriage  he  drove  was  one  he  hired  from  a  Hvery- 
man  by  the  month,  I  think  was  the  last  report  you  gave 
me;  but  couldn't  get  any  further  with  the  business  because 
Serpice  took  it  into  his  head  not  to  call  for  the  carriage  again 
and  made  off,  this  Kibblewhite  chap  didn't  know  where, 
and  appears  never  to  have  found  a  means  of  discovering." 

"No;  he  didn't.  But  ten  days  ago  he  got  word  from  the 
liveryman  that  Serpice  had  just  turned  up  and  was  about  to 
make  use  of  the  carriage  again;  and  off  Kibblewhite  cut, 
hotfoot,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  follow  him.  No  go, 
however.  By  the  time  he  arrived  at  the  stable  Serpice 
had  already  gone;  so  there  was  nothing  left  for  the  poor 
disappointed  chap  to  do  but  to  go  out  on  the  hunt  and  see 
if  he  couldn't  pick  him  up  somewhere  in  the  streets." 

"Which  he  didn't,  of  course?" 

"Excuse  me  —  which  he  did.  But  it  was  late  in  the 
afternoon  and  he  was  coming  back  to  the  stable  with  the 
carriage  empty.  Also,  it  was  in  the  thick  of  the  traffic  at 
Ludgate  Circus,  and  Kibblewhite  was  so  afraid  the  fellow 
might  mix  himself  up  in  it  and  give  him  the  slip  that  he 
took  a  chance  shot  to  prevent  it.  Nipping  up  the  ofiicer  on 
point,  he  made  himself  and  his  business  known,  and,  in  a 
winking,  in  nips  the  constable,  hauls  Mr.  Serpice  up  sharp, 


^70  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

and  arrests  him  for  driving  a  public  vehicle  without  a 
license." 

''Well  played,  Kibblewhite ! "  approved  Cleek.  ''That, 
of  course,  meant  that  the  fellow  would  be  arrested  and  have 
to  give  his  address  and  all  the  rest  of  it?" 

"So  Kibblewhite  himself  thought;  but  what  does  the 
beggar  do  but  turn  the  tables  on  him  in  the  most  unex- 
pected m.anner  by  absolutely  refusing  to  do  anything  of  the 
kind,  and,  as  he  did  not  have  a  license,  and  would  not  call 
anybody  to  pay  liis  fine,  the  magistrate  finished  the  busi- 
ness by  committing  him  to  jail  for  ten  days  in  default. 
And  here's  the  thing  I  was  ass  enough  to  forget:  His  ten 
days'  imprisonment  was  up  this  morning;  Kibblewhite,  in 
disguise,  was  to  be  outside  the  jail  to  follow  him  when  he 
was  discharged  and  see  where  he  went,  and  he  told  me  to 
look  for  him  to  turn  up  at  the  Yard  before  six  this  evening 
with  a  full  report  of  the  result  of  his  operations." 

"Bravo!"  said  Cleek,  leaning  back  in  his  seat,  with  a  sigh 
of  satisfaction.  "I've  changed  my  mind  about  leaving 
you,  Mr.  Narkom;  we  will  go  on  to  the  Yard  together.  As, 
in  all  probabihty,  after  ten  days  without  being  able  to  com- 
municate with  his  pals  or  with  Waldemar,  our  friend  Ser- 
pice  will  be  hot  to  get  to  them  at  once  and  explain  the  cause 
of  his  long  absence,  the  chances  are  that  Kibblewhite  will 
have  something  of  importance  to  report  at  last." 

He  had,  as  they  found  out  when,  in  the  fulness  of  time, 
they  arrived  at  the  Yard  and  were  told  that  he  was  waiting 
for  them  in  the  superintendent's  ofl&ce,  and  in  his  excite- 
ment he  almost  threw  it  at  them,  so  eager  he  was  to  report. 

"I've  turned  the  trick  at  last,  Superintendent,"  he  cried. 
"The  silly  josser  played  straight  into  my  hands,  sir.  The 
minute  he  was  out  of  jail  he  made  a  beehne  for  Soho,  and 
me  after  liim,  and  there  he  '  takes  to  earth'  in  a  rotten  Kttle 
restaurant  in  the  worst  part  of  the  district;  and  when  I  nips 
over  and  has  a  look  inside,  there  he  was  shakin'  hands  with 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      271 

a  lot  of  Frenchies  of  his  own  kind,  and  them  all  prancin' 
about  and  laughin'  like  they'd  gone  off  their  bloomin' 
heads.  I  sees  there  aren't  no  back  door  to  the  place,  and  I 
knows  from  that  that  he'd  have  to  come  out  the  same  way  as 
he  went  in,  so  off  I  nips  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  street 
and  lays  in  wait  for  him. 

''After  about  ten  minutes  or  so,  out  he  comes  —  him  and 
another  of  the  lot  —  moppin'  of  his  mouth  with  his  coat- 
sleeve,  and  off  they  starts  in  a  great  hurry,  and  me  after 
them.  They  goes  first  to  a  barber  shop,  where  the  man  I 
was  followin'  nips  in,  has  a  shave,  a  hair-cut  and  a  wash-up, 
while  the  chap  that  was  with  him  toddles  off  and  fetches 
him  a  clean  shirt  and  a  suit  of  black  clothes.  In  about 
fifteen  minutes  out  my  man  comes  again,  makin'  a  tolerable 
respectable  appearance,  sir,  after  his  barberin'  and  in  his 
clean  linen  and  decent  clothes.  Him  and  his  mate  stands 
talkin'  and  grinnin'  for  a  minute  or  so,  then  they  shakes 
hands  and  separates,  and  off  my  man  cuts  it,  westward. 

''Sir,  I  sticks  to  him  like  a  brother.  I  follers  him  smack 
across  to  the  Strand  and  along  that  to  the  Hotel  Cecil,  and 
there  the  beggar  nips  in  and  goes  up  the  courtyard  as  bold 
as  you  please,  sends  up  his  name  to  a  gent,  the  gent  sends 
down  word  for  him  to  be  showed  up  at  once,  and  in  that  way 
I  spots  my  man.  For  when  I  goes  up  to  the  clerk  and  shows 
my  badge  and  asks  who  was  the  party  my  Johnnie  had 
asked  for,  he  tells  me  straight  and  clear:  'Gentleman  he's 
making  a  suit  of  clothes  for  —  Baron  Rodolf  de  Mont- 
ravenne,  an  Austrian  nobleman,  who  has  been  stopping  here 
for  weeks!" 

Cleek  twitched  round  his  eye  and  glanced  at  Narkom. 

*'  'Things  least  hidden  are  best  hidden,'  "  he  quoted, 
smiKng.  "The  dear  count  knows  a  thing  or  two,  you  per- 
ceive. You  have  done  very  well  indeed,  Kibblewhite.  Here 
is  your  ten-pound  note  and  many  thanks  for  you  services. 
Good  evening." 


272      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Kibblewhite  took  the  money  and  his  departure  immedi- 
ately; but  so  long  as  he  remained  within  hearing  distance 
—  so  long  as  the  echo  of  his  departing  steps  continued  to 
sound  —  Cleek  remained  silent,  and  the  curious  crooked 
smile  made  a  loop  in  his  cheek.     But  of  a  sudden: 

^'Mr.  Narkom,"  he  said,  quietly  ''I  shan't  be  found  in 
any  of  my  usual  haunts  for  the  next  few  days.  If,  however, 
you  should  urgently  need  me,  call  at  the  Hotel  Cecil  and 
ask  for  Captain  Maltravers  —  and  call  in  disguise,  please ; 
our  friend  the  count  is  keen.  Remember  the  name.  Or, 
better  still,  write  it  down." 

"But,  good  God!  Cleek,  such  a  risk  as  that '* 

*'No  —  please  —  don't  attempt  to  dissuade  me.  I  want 
that  man,  and  I'll  get  him  if  getting  him  be  humanly  pos- 
sible.    That's  all.     Thanks  very  much.     Good-bye." 

Then  the  door  opened  and  shut,  and  by  the  time  Mr. 
Narkom  could  turn  round  from  writing  down  the  name  he 
had  been  given,  he  was  quite  alone  in  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

"^TUM-BAH  Nine-nine ty-two  —  Captain  Maltravers, 
-»>-^  please.  Nine-ninety-two.  Num-bah  Nine-ninety- 
two!" 

Thrice  the  voice  of  the  page  —  moving  and  droning  out 
his  words  in  that  perfunctory  manner  peculiar  unto  the 
breed  of  hotel  pages  the  world  over  —  sounded  its  dreary 
monotone  through  the  hum  of  conversation  in  the  rather 
crowded  tearoom  without  producing  the  slightest  effect; 
then,  of  a  sudden,  the  gentleman  seated  in  the  far  corner 
reading  the  daily  paper  —  a  tall,  fair-haired,  fair-mous- 
tached  gentleman  with  ''The  Army"  written  all  over  him  in 
capital  letters  —  twitched  up  his  head,  listened  until  the 
call  was  given  for  the  fourth  time,  and,  thereupon,  snapped 
/lis  fingers  sharply,  elevated  a  beckoning  digit,  and  called 
out  crisply:     ''Here,  my  boy  —  over  here  —  this  way!" 

The  boy  went  to  him  immediately,  extended  a  small, 
circular  metal  salver,  and  then,  lifting  the  thumb  which 
held  in  position  the  hand-written  card  thereon,  allowed  the 
sKp  of  pasteboard  to  be  removed. 

*'  Gentleman,  sir  —  waiting  in  the  office,"  he  volunteered. 

"Captain  Maltravers"  glanced  at  the  card,  frowned,  rose 
with  it  still  held  between  his  fingers,  and  within  the  space 
of  a  minute's  time  walked  into  the  hotel's  public  office  and 
the  presence  of  a  short,  stout,  full-bearded  "dumpling"  of 
a  man  with  the  florid  complexion  and  the  countr3^-cut 
clothes  of  a  gentleman  farmer,  who  half  sat  and  half  leaned 
upon  the  arm  of  a  leather-covered  settle  nervously  tapping 
with  the  ferule  of  a  thick  walking-cane,  a  boot  whose  exceed- 

273 


274      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

ingly  liigh  sole  and  general  construction  mutely  stood  spon- 
sor for  a  withered  and  shortened  leg. 

*'My  dear  Yard;  I  am  delighted  to  see  you!"  exclaimed 
the  "captain"  as  he  bore  down  on  the  little  round  man  and 
shook  hands  with  him  heartily.  ''Grimshaw  told  me  that 
you  would  be  coming  up  to  London  shortly,  but  I  didn't 
allow  myself  to  hope  that  it  would  be  so  soon  as  this.  Gad ! 
it's  a  dog's  age  since  I've  seen  you.  Come  along  up  to  my 
own  room  and  let  us  have  a  good  old-fashioned  chat.  Key 
of  Nine-ninety-two,  please,  clerk.  Thanks  very  much. 
Come  along,  Yard  —  this  way,  old  chap!" 

With  that  he  Knked  his  arm  in  his  caller's,  bore  him  cliunp- 
ing  and  wobbling  to  the  nearby  lift,  and  thence,  in  due 
course,  to  the  door  of  number  Nine-ninety-two  and  the 
seclusion  which  lay  behind  it.  He  was  still  chattering 
away  gayly  as  the  lift  dropped  down  out  of  sight  and  left 
them,  upon  which  he  shut  the  door,  locked  it  upon  the 
inside,  and  stopping  long  enough  to  catch  up  a  towel  and 
hang  it  over  the  keyhole,  turned  on  his  heel  and  groaned. 

''What!  am  I  not  to  have  even  a  two  days'  respite,  you 
indefatigable  machine?  ^^  he  said,  as  he  walked  across  the 
room  and  threw  himself  into  a  chair  with  a  sigh  of  annoy- 
ance. ''Think!  it  was  only  this  morning  that  I  ventured 
upon  the  first  casual  bow  of  a  fellow  guest  with  the  dear 
'Baron';  only  at  luncheon  we  exchanged  the  first  civil  word. 
But  the  ice  was  broken  and  I  should  have  had  him  'roped 
in'  by  teatime  —  I  am  sure  of  it.  And  now  you  come  and 
nip  my  hopes  in  the  bud  like  this.  And  in  a  disguise  that 
a  fellow  as  sharp  as  he  would  see  through  in  a  wink  if  he 
met  you." 

"It  was  the  best  I  could  do,  Cleek  —  I'm  not  a  dabster 
in  the  art  of  making  up,  as  you  know."  Mr.  Narkom's  voice 
was,  Hke  his  air,  duly  apologetic.  "Besides,  I  hung  around 
until  I  saw  him  go  out  before  I  ventured  in;  although  I  was 
on  thorns  the  whole  blessed  time.     I  had  to  see  you,  old 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  275 

chap  —  I  simply  had  to  —  and  every  minute  was  of  impor- 
tance. I  shouldn't  have  ventured  to  come  at  all  if  it  hadn't 
been  imperative." 

^'I'm  sure  of  that,"  said  Cleek,  recovering  his  good 
humour  instantly.  *' Don't  mind  my  beastly  bad  temper 
this  afternoon,  there's  a  good  friend.  It's  a  bit  of  a  dis- 
appointment, of  course,  after  I'd  looked  forward  to  a  clear 

field  just  as  soon  as  Waldemar  should  return,  but It  is 

you,  first  and  foremost,  at  all  times  and  under  all  circum- 
stances. Other  matters  count  as  nothing  with  me  when 
you  call.    Always  remember  that." 

^'I  do,  old  chap.  It's  because  I  do  that  I  went  to  the 
length  of  promising  Miss  Larue  that  I'd  lay  the  case  before 
you." 

''Miss  Larue?  A  moment,  please.  Will  the  lady  to 
whom  you  refer  be  Miss  Margaret  Larue,  the  celebrated 
actress?  The  one  in  question  who  treated  me  so  cavalierly 
last  August  in  that  business  regarding  the  disappearance 
of  that  chap  James  Colliver?" 

''Yes.  He  was  her  brother,  you  recollect,  and  —  don't 
get  hot  about  it,  Cleek.  I  know  she  treated  you  very  badly 
in  that  case,  and  so  does  she,  but " 

"She  treated  me  abominably!"  interposed  Cleek,  with 
some  heat.  "First  setting  mic  on  the  business,  and  then 
calling  me  off  just  as  I  had  got  a  grip  on  the  thing  and  was 
within  measuring  distance  of  the  end.  I  can't  forgive  that; 
and  I  never  could  fathom  her  reason  for  it.  If  it  was  as 
you  yourself  suggested  at  the  time,  because  she  shrank  from 
the  notoriety  that  was  Ukely  to  accrue  to  her  from  letting 
everybody  in  the  world  know  that  'Jimmy  the  Shifter'  was 
her  own  brother,  she  ought  to  have  thought  of  that  in  the 
beginning  —  when  she  acknowledged  it  so  openly  —  instead 
of  making  such  an  ass  of  me  by  her  high-handed  proceeding 
of  calling  me  off  the  scent  at  its  hottest,  as  if  I  were  a  tame 
puppy  to  be  pulled  this  way  and  that  with  a  string.     I  ob- 


276  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

ject  to  being  made  a  fool  of,  Mr.  Narkom;  and  there's  no 
denying  the  fact  that  Miss  Larue  treated  me  very  badly 
in  that  James  Colliver  case  —  very  badly  and  very  cava- 
lierly indeed." 

Unquestionably  Miss  Larue  had.  Even  Mr.  Narkom 
had  to  admit  that;  for  the  facts  which  lay  behind  these 
heated  remarks  were  not  such  as  are  calculated  to  make  any 
criminal  investigator  pleased  with  his  connection  therewith. 
Clearly  set  forth,  those  facts  were  as  follows: 

On  the  nineteenth  day  of  the  preceding  August,  James 
ColHver  had  disappeared,  as  suddenly  and  as  completely 
and  with  as  little  trace  left  behind  as  does  a  kinematograph 
picture  when  it  vanishes  from  the  screen. 

Now  the  world  at  large  had  never  heard  of  James  Colliver 
until  he  did  disappear,  and  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  it 
would  have  done  so  even  then  but  that  circumstances  con- 
nected with  his  vanishment  brought  to  Hght  the  starthng 
disclosure  that  the  worthless,  dissolute  hulk  of  a  man  who 
was  known  to  the  habitues  of  half  the  low-class  public 
houses  in  Hoxton  by  the  pseudonym  of  ''Jimmy  the  Shifter" 
was  not  only  all  that  time  and  drink  had  left  of  the  once 
popular  melodramatic  actor  JuKan  Monteith,  but  that  he 
was,  in  addition  thereto,  own  brother  to  Miss  Margaret 
Larue,  the  distinguished  actress  who  was  at  that  moment 
electrifying  London  by  her  marvellous  performance  of  the 
leading  role  in  The  Late  Mrs.  Cavendish. 

The  reasons  which  unpelled  Miss  Larue  to  let  the  public 
discover  that  her  real  name  was  Maggie  Colliver,  and  that 
"Jimmy  the  Shifter"  was  related  to  her  by  such  close  ties  of 
blood,  were  these:  The  Late  Mrs.  Cavendish  was  nearing 
the  close  of  its  long  and  successful  run  at  the  Royalty,  and 
its  successor  was  already  in  rehearsal  for  early  production. 
That  successor  was  to  be  a  specially  rewritten  version  of 
the  old-time  favourite  play  Catharine  Howard;  or,  The  Tomb, 
the  ThronCj  and  the  Scaffold,  with  Miss  Larue,  of  course,  in 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  277 

the  part  of  the  ambitious  and  ill-fated  Catharine.  Prep- 
arations were  on  foot  for  a  production  which  would  be 
splendidly  elaborate  as  to  scenery  and  effects,  and  abso- 
lutely accurate  as  to  detail.  For  instance,  the  costume 
which  Henry  VIII  had  worn  at  the  time  of  his  marriage 
with  Catharine  Howard  was  copied  exactly,  down  to  the 
minute  question  of  the  gaudy  stitchery  on  the  backs  of  the 
gloves  and  the  toes  of  the  shoes;  and  permission  had  been 
obtained  to  make  the  mimic  betrothal  ring  which  the  stage 
*' Henry"  was  to  press  upon  the  finger  of  the  stage  "Cath- 
arine" an  exact  repKca  of  the  real  one,  as  preserved  among 
the  nation's  historic  jewels.  Not  to  be  outdone  in  this 
matter  of  accuracy,  Miss  Larue  naturally  aimed  to  have  the 
dresses  and  the  trinkets  she  wore  as  nearly  Hke  those  of  the 
original  Catharine  as  it  was  possible  to  obtain.  As  her 
position  in  the  world  of  art  was  now  so  eminent  and  had 
brought  her  into  close  touch  with  the  elect,  it  was  not  diffi- 
cult for  the  lady  to  borrow  dresses,  and  even  jewels,  of  the 
exact  period  from  the  heirlooms  treasured  by  members  of 
the  nobihty,  that  these  might  be  copied  in  mimic  gems  for 
her  by  the  well-known  theatrical  and  show  supply  company 
of  Henry  Trent  &  Son,  Soho. 

To  this  firm,  which  was  in  full  charge  of  the  preparation 
of  dresses,  properties,  and  accessories  for  the  great  produc- 
tion, was  also  entrusted  the  making  of  a  ''cast"  of  Miss 
Larue's  features  and  the  manufacture  therefrom  of  a  wax 
head  with  which  it  was  at  first  proposed  to  lend  a  touch  of 
startling  realism  to  the  final  scene  of  the  execution  of  Cath- 
arine on  Tower  Hill,  but  which  was  subsequently  aban- 
doned after  the  first  night  as  being  unnecessarily  gruesome 
and  repulsive. 

It  was  during  the  course  of  the  final  rehearsals  for  this 
astonishing  production,  and  when  the  army  of  supers  who 
had  long  been  drilling  for  it  at  other  hours  was  brought  for 
the  first  time  into  contact  with  the  "principals,"  that  Miss 


278  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Larue  was  horrified  to  discover  among  the  members  of  that 
"army"  her  dissolute  brother,  "Jimmy  the  Shifter." 

For  years  —  out  of  sheer  sympathy  for  the  wife  who 
clung  to  him  to  the  last,  and  the  young  son  who  w^as  growing 
up  to  be  a  fine  fellow  despite  the  evil  stock  from  which  he 
had  sprung  —  Miss  Larue  had  continuously  supphed  this 
worthless  brother  with  money  enough  to  keep  him,  with  the 
strict  proviso  that  he  was  never  to  come  near  any  theatre 
where  she  might  be  performing,  nor  ever  at  any  time  to  make 
known  his  relationship  to  her.  She  now  saw  in  this  break- 
ing of  a  rule,  which  heretofore  he  had  inviolably  adhered 
to,  clear  evidence  that  the  man  had  suddenly  become  a 
menace,  and  she  was  in  great  haste  to  get  him  out  of  touch 
with  her  colleagues  before  anything  could  be  done  to 
disgrace  her. 

In  so  sudden  and  so  pressing  an  emergency  she  could  think 
of  no  excuse  but  an  errand  by  which  to  get  him  out  of  the 
theatre,  and  of  no  errand  but  one  —  the  stage  jewels  which 
Messrs.  Trent  &  Son  were  making  for  her.  She  therefore 
sat  down  quickly  at  the  prompt  table,  and,  drawing  a  sheet 
of  paper  to  her,  wrote  hurriedly: 

Messrs,  Trent  b'  Son: 

Gentlemen  —  Please  give  the  bearer  my  jewels  —  or  such  of 
them  as  are  finished,  if  you  have  not  done  with  all  —  that  he 
may  bring  them  to  me  immediately,  as  I  have  instant  need  of 
them.  Yours  faithfully, 

Margaret  Larue. 

This  she  passed  over  to  the  stage  manager,  with  a  request 
to  "Please  read  that,  Mr.  Lampson,  and  certify  over  your 
signature  that  it  is  authentic,  and  that  you  vouch  for  having 
seen  me  write  it."  After  which  she  got  up  suddenly,  and 
said  as  calmly  as  she  could:  "Mr.  Super  Master,  I  want 
to  borrow  one  of  your  men  to  go  on  an  important  errand  to 
Trent  &  Son  for  me.     This  one  will  do,"  signalling  out  her 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  ^79 

brother.     ''  Spare  him,  please.    This  way,  my  man  —  come 
quickly!" 

With  that  she  suddenly  caught  up  the  note  she  had  writ- 
ten —  and  which  the  stage  manager  had,  as  requested,  cer- 
tified —  and,  beckoning  her  brother  to  follow,  walked 
hurriedly  off  the  stage  to  a  deserted  point  in  the  wings. 

"Why  have  you  done  this  dreadful  thing?"  she  demanded 
in  a  low,  fierce  tone  as  soon  as  he  came  up  with  her.  "Are 
you  a  fool  as  well  as  a  knave  that  you  come  here  and  risk 
losing  your  only  support  by  a  thing  like  this?  " 

"I  wanted  to  see  you  —  I  had  to  see  you  —  and  it  was 
the  only  way,"  he  gave  back  in  the  same  guarded  tone. 
"The  wife  is  dead.  She  died  last  night,  and  I've  got  to  get 
money  somewhere  to  bury  her.  I'd  no  one  to  send,  since 
you've  taken  Ted  away  and  sent  him  to  school,  so  I  had  to 
come  myself." 

The  knowledge  that  it  was  for  no  more  desperate  reason 
than  this  that  he  had  forced  himself  into  her  presence  came 
as  a  great  reUef  to  Miss  Larue.  She  hastened  to  get  rid  of 
him  by  sending  him  to  Trent  &  Son  with  the  note  that  she 
had  written,  and  to  tell  him  to  carry  the  parcel  that  would 
be  handed  to  him  to  the  rooms  she  was  occupying  in  Port- 
man  Square  —  and  which  she  made  up  her  mind  to  vacate 
the  very  next  day  —  and  there  to  wait  until  she  came  home 
from  rehearsal. 

lie  took  the  note  and  left  the  theatre  at  once,  upon  which 
Miss  Larue,  considerably  relieved,  returned  to  the  duties 
in  hand,  and  promptly  banished  all  thought  of  him  from  her 
mind. 

It  was  not  until  something  like  two  hours  afterward  that 
he  was  brought  back  to  mind  in  a  somewhat  disquieting 
manner. 

"I  say.  Miss  Larue,"  said  the  stage  manager  as  she  came 
off  after  thrice  rehearsing  a  particularly  trying  scene,  and, 
with  a  weary  sigh,  dropped  into  a  vacant  chair  at  his  table, 


280      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

"aren't  you  worried  about  that  chap  you  sent  with  the  note 
to  Trent  &  Son?  There's  been  time  for  him  to  go  and  return 
twice  over,  you  know;  and  I  observe  that  he's  not  back  yet. 
Aren't  you  a  bit  uneasy?  " 

'^No.     Why  should  I  be?" 

*'Well,  for  one  thing,  I  should  say  it  was  an  extremely 
risky  business  unless  you  knew  something  about  the  man. 
Suppose,  for  instance,  he  should  make  off  with  the  jewels? 
A  pretty  pickle  you'd  be  in  with  the  parties  from  whom  you 
borrov/ed  them,  by  Jove ! " 

*'Good  gracious,  you  don't  suppose  I  sent  him  for  the 
originals,  do  you?"  said  Miss  Larue  with  a  smile.  ''Trent 
&  Son  would  think  me  a  lunatic  to  do  such  a  thing  as  that. 
What  I  sent  him  for  was,  of  course,  merely  the  paste 
repHcas.     The  originals  I  shall  naturally  go  for  myself." 

''God  bless  my  soul!  The  paste  repHcas,  do  you  say?'* 
blurted  in  Mr.  Lampson  excitedly.  "WTiy,  I  thought — ■ 
Trent  &  Son  will  be  sure  to  think  so  themselves  under  the 
circumstances!     They  can't  possibly  think  otherT\dse." 

"'Under  the  circumstances'?  'Think  otherwise'?"  re* 
peated  Miss  Larue,  facing  round  upon  him  sharply.  "What 
do  you  mean  by  that,  Mr.  Lampson?  Good  heavens!  not 
that  they  could  possibly  be  mad  enough  to  give  the  man  the 
originals?" 

"Yes,  certainly!  Good  Lord!  what  else  can  they  think  — • 
what  else  can  they  give  him?  They  sent  the  paste  dupli- 
cates here  by  their  own  messenger  this  morning !  They  are 
in  the  manager's  office  —  in  his  safe  —  at  this  very  minute; 
and  I  was  going  to  bring  them  round  to  you  as  soon  as  the 
rehearsal  is  over!" 

Consternation  followed  this  announcement,  of  course. 
The  rehearsal  was  called  to  an  abrupt  halt.  Mr.  Lampson 
and  Miss  Larue  flew  round  to  the  front  of  the  house  in  a 
sort  of  panic,  got  to  the  telephone,  and  rang  up  Trent  &  Son, 
who  confirmed  their  worst  fears.     Yes,  the  man  had  arrived 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      281 

with  the  note  from  Miss  Larue  something  over  an  hour 
ago,  and  they  had  promptly  handed  him  over  the  original 
jewels.  Not  all  of  them,  of  course,  but  those  which  they 
had  finished  duplicating  and  of  which  they  had  sent  the 
replicas  to  the  theatre  by  their  own  messenger  that  morning. 
Surely  that  was  what  Miss  Larue  meant  by  the  demand, 
was  it  not?  No  other  explanation  seemed  possible  after 
they  had  sent  her  the  copies  and  —  Good  Lord !  hadn't 
heard  about  it?  Meant  the  imitations?  Heavens  above, 
what  an  appalling  mistake!  What  was  that?  The  man? 
Oh,  yes;  he  took  the  things  after  Mr.  Trent,  senior,  had 
removed  them  from  the  safe  and  handed  them  over  to  him, 
and  he  had  left  Mr.  Trent's  office  directly  he  received  them. 
Miss  Larue  could  ascertain  exactly  what  had  been  delivered 
to  him  by  examining  the  duplicates  their  messenger  had 
carried  to  the  theatre. 

Miss  Larue  did,  discovering,  to  her  dismay,  that  they 
represented  a  curious  ruby  necklace,  of  which  the  original 
had  been  lent  her  by  the  Duchess  of  Oldhampton,  a  stom- 
acher of  sapphires  and  pearls  borrowed  from  the  Marquise 
of  Chepstow,  and  a  rare  Tudor  clasp  of  diamonds  and  opals 
which  had  been  lent  to  her  by  the  Lady  Margery  Thraill. 

In  a  panic  she  rushed  from  the  theatre',  called  a  taxi,  and, 
hoping  against  hope,  whirled  off  to  her  rooms  at  Portman 
Square.  No  Mr.  James  ColHver  had  been  there.  Nor  did 
he  come  there  ever.  Neither  did  he  return  to  the  squaKd 
home  where  his  dead  wife  lay ;  nor  did  any  of  his  cronies  nor 
any  of  his  old  haunts  see  hide  or  hair  of  him  from  that  time. 
Furthermore,  nobody  answering  to  his  description  had  been 
seen  to  board  any  train,  steamship,  or  sailing-vessel  leaving 
for  foreign  parts,  nor  could  there  be  found  any  hotel,  lodg- 
ing-house, furnished  or  even  unfurnished  apartment  into 
which  he  had  entered  that  day  or  upon  any  day  thereafter. 

In  despair.  Miss  Larue  drove  to  Scotland  Yard  and  put 
the  matter  into  the  h^nds  of  the  pohce,  offering  a  reward  of 


282  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

;£^i,ooo  for  the  recovery  of  the  jewels;  and  through  the 
medium  of  the  newspapers  promised  Mr.  James  Colliver 
that  she  would  not  prosecute,  but  would  pay  that  ;^i,ooo 
over  to  him  if  he  would  return  the  gems,  that  she  might 
restore  them  to  their  rightful  owners. 

Mr.  James  Colliver  neither  accepted  that  offer  nor  gave 
any  sign  that  he  was  aware  of  it.  It  was  then  that  Scotland 
Yard,  in  the  person  of  Cleek,  stepped  in  to  conduct  the 
search  for  both  man  and  jewels;  and  within  forty-eight  hours 
some  amazing  circumstances  were  brought  to  Hght. 

First  and  forem^ost,  Mr.  Henry  Trent,  who  said  he  had 
given  the  gems  over  to  Colliver,  and  that  the  man  had  im- 
mediately left  the  ofhce,  was  unable,  through  the  fact  of 
his  son's  absence  from  town,  to  give  any  further  proof  of 
that  statement  than  his  own  bare  word;  for  there  was  no- 
body but  himself  in  the  office  at  the  time,  whereas  the  door 
porter,  who  distinctly  remembered  James  ColHver's  en- 
trance into  the  building,  as  distinctly  remembered  that  up 
to  the  moment  when  evening  brought  ''knocking-off  time" 
James  Colliver  had  never,  to  his  certain  knowledge,  come 
out  of  it ! 

The  next  amazing  fact  to  be  unearthed  was  that  one  of 
the  office  cleaners  had  found  tucked  under  the  stairs  leading 
up  to  the  top  floor  a  sponge,  which  had  beyond  all  possible 
question  been  used  to  wipe  blood  from  something  and  had 
evidently  been  tucked  there  in  a  great  hurry.  The  tliird 
amazing  discovery  took  the  astonishing  shape  of  finding  in 
an  East  End  pawnbroker's  shop  every  one  of  the  missing 
articles,  and  positive  proof  that  the  man  who  had  pledged 
them  was  certainly  not  in  the  smallest  degree  like  James 
Colliver,  but  was  evidently  a  person  of  a  higher  walk  in 
life  and  more  prosperous  in  appearance  than  the  missing 
man  had  been  since  the  days  when  he  was  a  successful  actor. 

These  circumstances  Cleek  had  just  brought  to  Hght  when 
Miss  Larue,  having  foimd  the  gems,  determined  to  drop  the 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  283 

case,  and  refused  thereafter  so  much  as  to  discuss  it  with  any 
living  soul. 

That  her  reason  for  taking  this  unusual  step  had  some- 
thing behind  it  which  was  of  more  moment  than  the  mere 
fact  that  the  jewels  had  been  recovered  and  returned  to 
their  respective  owners  there  could  hardly  be  a  doubt;  for 
from  that  time  onward  her  whole  nature  seemed  to  undergo 
a  radical  change,  and,  from  being  a  brilliant,  vivacious, 
cheery-hearted  woman  whose  spirits  were  always  of  the 
highest  and  whose  laughter  was  frequent,  she  developed 
suddenly  into  a  silent,  smileless,  mournful  one,  who  shrank 
from  all  society  but  that  of  her  lost  brother's  orphaned  son, 
and  who  seemed  to  be  oppressed  by  the  weight  of  some 
unconfessed  cross  and  the  shadow  of  some  secret  woe. 

Such  were  the  facts  regarding  the  singular  CoUiver  case 
at  the  time  when  Cleek  laid  it  down  —  unprobed,  unsolved, 
as  deep  a  mystery  in  the  end  as  it  had  been  in  the  begin- 
ning —  and  such  they  still  were  when,  on  this  day,  at  this 
critical  time  and  after  an  interval  of  eleven  months,  Mr. 
Maverick  Narkom  came  to  ask  him  to  pick  it  up  again. 

*'And  with  an  element  of  fresh  mystery  added  to  compli- 
cate it  more  than  ever,  dear  chap,"  he  declared,  rather  ex- 
citedly. ^'For,  as  the  father  vanished  eleven  months  ago, 
so  yesterday  the  son,  too,  disappeared.  In  the  same  manner 
—  from  the  same  point  —  in  the  selfsame  building  and  in 
the  same  inexpHcable  and  almost  supernatural  way!  Only 
that  in  this  instance  the  mystery  is  even  more  incompre- 
hensible, more  like  *  magic '  than  ever.  For  the  boy  is 
known  to  have  been  shown  by  a  porter  into  a  room  almost 
entirely  surrounded  by  glass  —  a  room  whose  interior  was 
clearly  visible  to  two  persons  who  were  looking  into  it  at  the 
time  —  and  then  and  there  to  have  completely  vanished 
without  anybody  knowing  when,  where,  or  how." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 


cc 


WHAT'S  that?"  rapped  out  Cleek,  sitting  up  sharply. 
His  interest  had  been  trapped,  just  as  Mr.  Narkom 
knew  that  it  would.  "Vanished  from  a  glass-room  into 
which  people  were  looking  at  the  time?  And  yet  nobody 
saw  the  manner  of  his  going,  do  you  say?" 

"That's  it  precisely.  But  the  most  astonishing  part  of 
the  business  is  the  fact  that,  whereas  the  porter  can  bring 
at  least  three  witnesses  to  prove  that  he  showed  the  boy  into 
that  glass-room,  and  at  least  one  to  testify  that  he  heard  him 
speak  to  the  occupant  of  it,  the  two  watchers  who  were  look- 
ing into  the  place  at  the  time  are  willing  to  swear  on  oath 
that  he  not  only  did  not  enter  the  place,  but  that  the  room 
was  absolutely  vacant  at  the  period,  and  remained  so  for 
at  least  an  hour  afterward.  If  that  isn't  a  mystery  that 
will  want  a  bit  of  doing  to  solve,  dear  chap,  then  you  may 
call  me  a  Dutchman." 

"Hum-m-m!"  said  Cleek  reflectively.  "How,  then,  am 
I  to  regard  the  people  who  give  this  cross  testimony  —  as 
lunatics  or  liars?" 

"Neither,  b'gad!"  asseverated  Narkom,  emphatically. 
"I'll  stake  my  reputation  upon  the  sanity  and  the  truthful- 
ness of  every  mother's  son  and  every  father's  daughter  of 
the  lot  of  them!  The  porter  who  says  he  showed  the  boy 
into  the  glass-room  I've  known  since  he  was  a  nipper  —  his 
dad  was  one  of  my  Yard  men  years  ago  —  and  the  two  peo- 
ple who  were  looking  into  the  place  at  the  time,  and  who 
swear  that  it  was  absolutely  emxpty  and  that  the  lad  never 
came  into  it Look  here,  old  chap,  I'll  let  you  into  a 

284 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      285 

bit  of  family  history.  One  of  them  is  a  distant  relative  of 
Mrs.  Narkom  —  an  aunt,  in  fact,  v\^ho's  rather  down  in  the 
world,  and  does  a  bit  of  dressmaking  for  a  living.  The  other 
is  her  daughter.  They  are  two  of  the  straightest-living, 
most  upright,  and  truly  religious  women  that  ever  drew  the 
breath  of  life,  and  they  wouldn't,  either  of  'em,  tell  a  lie 
for  all  the  money  in  England.  There's  where  the  puzzle 
of  the  thing  comes  in.  You  simply  have  got  to  believe  that 
that  porter  showed  the  boy  into  that  room,  for  there  are 
reliable  witnesses  to  prove  it,  and  he  has  no  living  reason 
to  lie  about  it;  and  you  have  got  to  believe  that  those  two 
women  are  speaking  the  truth  v/hen  they  say  that  it  was 
empty  at  that  period  and  remained  empty  for  an  hour  after- 
ward. Also  —  if  you  will  take  on  the  case  and  solve  at  the 
same  time  the  mystery  attending  the  disappearance  of  both 
father  and  son  —  you  will  have  to  find  out  where  that  boy 
went  to,  through  whose  agency  he  vanished,  and  for  what 
cause." 

''A  tall  order  that,"  said  Cleek  with  one  of  his  curious, 
one-sided  smiles.  * 'Still,  of  course,  mysteries  which  are 
humanly  possible  of  creation  are  humanly  possible  of  solu- 
tion, and  —  there  you  are.  Who  is  the  client?  Miss 
Larue?  If  so,  how  is  one  to  be  sure  that  she  will  not  again 
call  a  halt,  and  spoil  a  good  'case'  before  it  is  halfway  to 
completion?" 

''For  the  best  of  reasons,"  replied  Narkom  earnestly. 
^'Hers  is  not  the  sole  'say'  in  the  present  case.  Added  to 
which,  she  is  now  convinced  that  her  suspicions  in  the  for- 
mer one  were  not  well  grounded.  The  truth  has  come  out 
at  last,  Cleek.  She  stopped  all  further  inquiry  into  the 
mysterious  disappearance  of  her  brother  because  she  had 
reason  to  believe  that  the  elder  Mr.  Trent  had  killed  him 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  possession  of  those  jewels  to  tide 
over  a  financial  crisis  consequent  upon  the  failure  of  some 
heavy  speculations  upon  the  stock  n?arket.     She  held  her 


g86      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

peace  and  dosed  up  the  case  because  she  loves  and  is  en- 
gaged to  be  married  to  his  son,  and  she  would  have  lost 
everything  in  the  world  sooner  than  hurt  his  belief  in  the 
honour  and  integrity  of  his  father." 

"What  a  ripping  girl!  Gad,  but  there  are  some  splendid 
women  in  the  world,  are  there  not,  Mr.  Narkom?  What 
has  happened,  dear  friend,  to  change  her  opinion  regarding 
the  elder  Mr.  Trent's  guilt?" 

"The  disappearance  of  the  son  under  similar  circum- 
stances to  that  of  the  father,  and  from  the  same  locahty. 
She  knows  now  that  the  elder  Mr.  Trent  can  have  no  part 
in  the  matter,  since  he  is  at  present  in  America,  the  financial 
crisis  has  been  safely  passed,  and  the  son  —  who  could  have 
no  possible  reason  for  injuring  the  lad,  who  is,  indeed,  re- 
markably fond  of  him,  and  by  whose  invitation  he  visited 
the  building  —  is  solely  in  charge  and  as  wildly  anxious  as 
man  can  be  to  have  the  abominable  thing  cleared  up  with- 
out delay.  He  now  knows  why  she  so  abruptly  closed  up 
the  other  case,  and  he  is  determined  that  nothing  under 
heaven  shall  interfere  with  the  prosecution  of  this  one  to 
the  very  end.  It  is  he  who  is  the  cHent,  and  both  he  and 
his  fiancee  will  be  here  presently  to  lay  the  full  details 
before  you." 

"Here!"  Cleek  leaned  forward  in  his  chair  with  a  sort 
of  lunge  as  he  flung  out  the  word,  and  there  was  a  snap  in 
his  voice  that  fairly  stung.  "Good  heavens  above,  man! 
They  mustn't  come  here.  Get  word  to  them  at  once  and 
stop  them." 

"It  wouldn't  be  any  use  trying,  I'm  afraid,  old  chap;  I 
expect  they  are  here  already.  At  all  events,  I  told  them  to 
watch  from  the  other  side  of  the  way  until  they  saw  me  enter, 
and  then  to  come  in  and  go  straightway  to  the  pubKc  tea- 
room and  wait  until  I  brought  you  to  them." 

"Well,  of  all  the  insane Whatever  prompted  you 

,to  do  a  madman's  trick  like  that?    A  pubHc  character 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  287 

like  Miss  Larue,  a  woman  whom  half  London  knows  by 
sight,  who  will  be  the  target  for  every  eye  in  the  tearoom, 
and  the  news  of  whose  presence  in  the  hotel  will  be  all  over 
the  place  in  less  than  no  time !    Were  you  out  of  your  head?'' 

^'  Good  lud!  Why,  I  thought  I'd  be  doing  the  very  thing 
that  would  please  you,  dear  chap,"  bleated  the  superintend- 
ent, despairingly.  "It  seemed  to  me  such  a  natural  thing 
for  an  actress  to  take  tea  at  a  hotel  —  that  it  would  look  so 
innocent  and  open  that  nobody  would  suspect  there  was 
anything  behind  it.  And  you  always  say  that  things  least 
hidden  are  hidden  the  most  of  all." 

Cleek  struck  his  tongue  against  his  teeth  with  a  sharp, 
clicking  sound  indicative  of  mild  despair.  There  were  times 
when  Mr.  Narkom  seemed  utterly  hopeless. 

"Well,  if  it's  done,  it's  done,  of  course;  and  there  seems 
only  one  way  out  of  it,"  he  said.  "Nip  down  to  the  tearoom 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  if  they  are  there  bring  them  up 
here.  It's  only  four  o'clock  and  there's  a  chance  that  Walde- 
mar  may  not  have  returned  to  the  hotel  yet.  Heaven 
knows,  I  hope  not !  He'd  spot  you  in  a  tick,  in  a  weak  dis- 
guise like  that." 

"Then  why  don't  you  go  down  yourself  and  fetch  them 
up,  old  chap?  He'd  never  spot  you.  Lord!  your  own 
mother  wouldn't  know  you  from  Adam  in  this  spifhng  get- 
up.  And  it  wouldn't  matter  a  tinker's  curse  then  if  Walde- 
mar  was  back  or  not." 

"It  would  matter  a  great  deal,  my  friend  —  don't  deceive 
yourself  upon  that  point.  For  one  thing.  Captain  Maltra- 
vers  is  registered  at  the  ofHce  as  having  just  arrived  from 
India  after  a  ten  years'  absence,  and  ten  years  ago  Miss 
Margaret  Larue  was  not  only  unknown  to  fame,  but  must 
have  been  still  in  pinafores,  so  how  w^as  he  to  have  made  her 
acquaintance?  Then,  too,  she  doesn't  expect  to  see  me 
without  you,  so  I  should  have  to  introduce  myself  and  stop 
to  explain  matters  —  yes,  and  even  risk  her  com^panion 


288  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

getting  excited  and  saying  something  indiscreet,  and  those 
are  rather  dangerous  affairs  in  a  public  tearoom,  with  every- 
body's eyes  no  doubt  fixed  upon  the  lady.  No,  you  must 
attend  to  the  matter  yourself,  my  friend;  so  nip  off  and  be 
about  it.  If  the  lady  and  her  companion  are  there,  just 
whisper  them  to  say  nothing,  but  follow  you  immediately. 
If  they  are  not  there,  sHp  out  and  warn  them  not  to  come. 
Look  sharp  —  the  situation  is  tickHsh! " 

And  just  how  tickKsh  Mr.  Narkom  realized  when  he 
descended  and  made  his  way  to  the  pubKc  tearoom.  For 
the  usual  four  o'clock  gathering  of  shoppers  and  sightseers 
was  there  in  full  force,  the  well-filled  room  was  like  a  hive 
full  of  buzzing  bees  who  were  engaged  in  imparting  confi- 
dences to  one  another,  the  name  of  ''Margaret  Larue"  was 
being  whispered  here,  there  and  everywhere,  and  all  eyes 
were  directed  toward  a  far  corner  where  at  a  little  round 
table  Margaret  Larue  herself  sat  in  company  with  Mr.  Har- 
rison Trent  engaged  in  making  a  feeble  pretence  of  enjoy- 
ing a  tea  which  neither  of  them  wanted  and  upon  which 
neither  was  bestowing  a  single  thought. 

Narkom  spotted  them  at  once,  made  his  way  across  the 
crowded  room,  said  something  to  them  in  a  swift,  low  whis- 
per, and  immediately  became  at  once  the  most  envied  and 
most  unpopular  person  in  the  whole  assembly;  for  Miss 
Larue  and  her  companion  arose  instantly  and,  leaving  some 
pieces  of  silver  on  the  table,  walked  out  with  him  and 
robbed  the  room  of  its  chief  attraction. 

All  present  had  been  deeply  interested  in  the  entire  pro- 
ceeding, but  none  more  so  than  the  tall,  distinguished  look- 
ing foreign  gentleman  seated  all  alone  at  the  exactly  op- 
posite end  of  the  room  from  the  table  where  Miss  Larue  and 
her  companion  had  been  located;  for  his  had  been  the  tensest 
kind  of  interest  fromi  the  very  instant  Mr.  Narkom  had 
made  his  appearance,  and  remained  so  to  the  last. 

Even  after  the  three  persons  had  vanished  from  the  room, 


"  Count  Irma  has  told,"  said  Narkom.     "  It's  all  out  at  last  and    .    .    . 
I  know  now.    I'm  to  lose  you  " 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  289 

he  continued  to  stare  at  the  doorway  through  which  they 
had  passed,  and  the  rather  elaborate  tea  he  had  ordered 
remained  wholly  untouched.  A  soft  step  sounded  near  him 
and  a  soft  voice  broke  in  upon  his  unspoken  thoughts. 

*'Is  not  the  tea  to  Monsieur's  liking?"  it  inquired  v/ith  all 
the  deference  of  the  Continental  waiter.  And  that  awoke 
him  from  his  abstraction. 

*'Yes  —  quite,  thank  you.  By  the  way,  that  was  Miss 
Larue  who  just  left  the  room,  was  it  not,  Philippe  ?  " 

"Yes,  JVIonsieur  —  the  great  Miss  Larue:  the  most  famous 
of  all  Enghsh  actresses." 

"  So  I  understand.  And  the  lame  man  who  came  in  and 
spoke  to  her  —  who  is  he?  Not  a  guest  of  the  hotel,  I  am 
sure,  since  I  have  never  seen  him  here  before." 

*'I  do  not  know.  Monsieur,  who  the  gentleman  is.     It- 
shall  be  the  first  I  shall  see  of  him  ever.     It  may  be,  how- 
ever, that  he  is  a  new  arrival.     They  would  know  at  the 
office,  if  Monsieur  le  Baron  desires  me  to  inquire." 

*' Yes  —  do.  I  fancy  I  have  seen  him  before.  Find  out 
for  me  who  he  is." 

Philippe  disappeared  like  a  fleet  shadow.  After  an 
absence  of  about  two  minutes,  he  came  back  with  the 
desired  intelligence. 

"No,  Monsieur  le  Baron,  the  gentleman  is  not  a  guest," 
he  announced.  "But  he  is  visiting  a  guest.  The  name  is 
Yard.  He  arrived  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago  and  sent 
his  card  in  to  Captain  Maltravers,  who  at  once  took  him  up 
to  his  room." 

"Captain  Maltravers?  So!  That  will  be  the  military 
officer  from  India,  will  it  not?  " 

"Yes,  Monsieur;  the  one  with  the  fair  hair  and  moustache 
who  lunched  to-day  at  the  table  adjoining  Monsieur  le 
Baron's  own." 

"Ah,  to  be  sure.  And  'passed  the  time  of  day'  with  me, 
as  they  say  in  this  peculiar  language.     I  remember  the 


290      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

gentleman  perfectly.  Thank  you  very  much.  There's  some- 
thing to  pay  you  for  your  trouble.'^ 

*' Monsieur  le  Baron  is  too  generous!  Is  there  any  other 
service " 

'^No,  no  —  nothing,  thank  you.  I  have  all  that  I  re- 
quire," interposed  the  ^' Baron"  with  a  gesture  of  dismissal. 

And  evidently  he  had;  for  five  minutes  later  he  walked 
into  the  office  of  the  hotel,  and  said  to  the  clerk,  ''Make  out 
my  bill,  please  —  I  shall  be  leaving  England  at  once,"  and 
immediately  thereafter  walked  into  a  telephone  booth,  con- 
sulted his  notebook,  and  rang  up  253480  Soho,  and,  on  get- 
ting it,  began  to  talk  rapidly  and  softly  to  some  one  who 
understood  French. 

Meantime  Mr.  Narkom,  unaware  of  the  little  powder 
train  he  had  unconsciously  lighted,  had  gone  on  up  the  stairs 
with  his  two  companions  —  purposely  avoiding  the  lift  that 
he  might  explain  matters  as  they  went  —  piloted  them  safely 
to  the  suite  occupied  by  ''Captain  Maltravers,"  and  at  the 
precise  moment  when  "Baron  Rodolf  de  Montravanne" 
walked  into  the  telephone  booth,  Cleek  was  meeting  Miss 
Larue  for  the  first  time  since  those  distressing  days  of  eleven 
months  ago,  and  meeting  Mr.  Harrison  Trent  for  the  first 
time  ever. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

CLEEK  found  young  Trent  an  extremely  handsome 
man  of  about  three-and- thirty-,  of  a  highly  strung,  ner- 
vous temperament,  and  with  an  irritating  habit  of  running 
his  fingers  through  his  hair  when  excited.  Also,  it  seemed 
impossible  for  him  to  sit  still  for  half  a  minute  at  a  stretch,' 
he  must  be  constantly  hopping  up  only  to  sit  down  again, 
and  moving  restlessly  about  as  if  he  were  doing  his  best  ta 
retain  his  composure  and  found  it  difficult  with  Cleek's  calm 
eyes  fixed  constantly  upon  him. 

''I  want  to  tell  you  something  about  that  bloodstained 
sponge  business,  Mr.  Cleek,"  he  said  in  his  abrupt,  jerky, 
uneasy  manner.  ^'I  never  heard  a  word  about  it  until  last 
night,  when  Miss  Larue  confessed  her  former  suspicions 
of  my  dear  old  dad,  and  gave  me  all  the  details  of  the  mat- 
ter. That  sponge  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  affair  at  all. 
It  was  I  that  tucked  it  under  the  staircase  where  it  was 
found,  and  I  did  so  on  the  day  before  James  CoUiver's  dis- 
appearance. The  blood  that  had  been  on  it  was  mine,  not 
his." 

*'I  see,"  said  Cleek,  serenely.  "The  explanation,  of 
course,  is  the  good,  old  tried-and-true  refuge  of  the  story- 
writers  —  namely,  a  case  of  nose-bleeding,  is  it  not?" 

"Yes,"  admitted  Trent.  "But  with  this  difference:  mine 
wasn't  an  accidental  affair  at  all  —  it  was  the  result  of 
getting  a  Jolly  good  hiding;  and  I  made  an  excuse  to  get 
away  and  hop  out  of  town,  so  that  the  dad  wouldn't  know 
about  it  nor  see  how  I'd  been  battered.  The  fact  is,  I  met 
one  of  our  carmen  in  the  upper  hall.    He  was  as  drunk  as  a 

£91 


^92  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

lord,  and  when  I  took  him  to  task  about  it  and  threatened 
him  with  discharge,  he  said  something  to  me  that  I  thought 
needed  a  jolly  sight  more  than  words  by  way  of  chastise- 
ment, so  I  nipped  off  my  coat  and  sailed  into  him.  It 
turned  out  that  he  was  the  better  man,  and  gave  me  all  that 
I'd  asked  for  in  less  than  a  minute's  time;  so  I  shook  hands 
with  him,  told  him  to  bundle  off  home  and  sleep  himself 
sober,  and  that  if  he  wouldn't  say  anything  about  the  matter 
I  wouldn't  either,  and  he  could  turn  up  for  work  in  the 
morning  as  usual.  Then  I  washed  up,  shoved  the  sponge 
under  the  staircase,  and  nipped  off  out  of  town;  because, 
you  know,  it  would  make  a  deuced  bad  impression  if  any 
of  the  other  workmen  should  find  out  that  a  member  of  the 
firm  had  been  thrashed  by  one  of  the  em^ployees  —  and 
Dray  CO  tt  had  done  me  up  so  beautifully  that  I  was  a  sight 
for  the  gods." 

The  thing  had  been  so  frankly  confessed  that,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  of  ha\dng  in  the  beginning  been  rather  repelled  by 
him,  Cleek  could  not  but  experience  a  feeling  of  liking  for 
the  man.  *'So  that's  how  it  happened,  is  it?"  he  said,  with 
a  laugh.  ''It  is  a  brave  man,  Mr.  Trent,  that  will  resist  the 
opportunity  to  make  himself  a  hero  in  the  presence  of  the 
lady  he  loves;  and  I  hope  I  may  be  permitted  to  congratu- 
late Miss  Larue  on  the  wisdom  of  her  choice.  But  now,  if 
you  please,  let  us  get  down  at  once  to  the  details  of  the 
melancholy  business  we  have  in  hand.  Mr.  Narkom  has 
been  telKng  me  the  amazing  story  of  the  boy's  \isit  to  the 
building  and  of  his  strange  disappearance  therein,  but  I 
should  like  to  have  a  few  further  facts,  if  you  will  be  so  kind. 
What  took  the  boy  to  the  building,  in  the  first  place?  I  am 
told  he  went  there  upon  your  invitation,  but  I  confess  that 
that  seems  rather  odd  to  me.  Why  should  a  man  of  busi- 
ness want  a  boy  to  visit  him  during  business  hours?  " 

"Good  Lord,  man!  I  couldn't  have  let  him  see  what  he 
wanted  to  see  if  he  didn't  come  during  business  hours,  could 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      293 

I?  But  that's  rather  ambiguous,  so  I'll  make  haste  to  put 
it  plainer.  Young  Stan  —  his  Christian  name  is  Stanley, 
as  I  suppose  you  know  —  young  Stan  is  mad  to  learn  the 
business  of  theatrical  property  making,  and  particularly 
that  of  the  manufacture  of  those  wax  effigies,  et  cetera, 
which  we  supply  for  the  use  of  drapers  in  their  show  win- 
dows; and  as  he  is  now  sixteen  and  of  an  age  to  begin  think- 
ing of  some  trade  or  profession  for  the  future,  I  thought  it 
would  save  Miss  Larue  putting  up  a  jolly  big  premium  to 
have  him  taught  outside  if  we  took  him  into  our  business 
free,  so  I  invited  him  to  come  and  look  roimd  and  see  if  he 
thought  he'd  like  it  when  he  came  to  look  into  the  messy 
details. 

*'Well,  he  came  rather  late  yesterday  afternoon,  and  I'd 
taken  him  round  for  just  about  ten  or  a  dozen  minutes  when 
word  was  suddenly  brought  to  me  that  the  representative 
of  one  of  the  biggest  managers  in  the  country  had  just  called 
with  reference  to  an  important  order,  so,  of  course,  I  put 
back  to  the  office  as  quickly  as  I  could  foot  it,  young  Stan 
quite  naturally  following  me,  as  he  didn't  know  his  way 
about  the  place  alone,  and,  being  a  modest,  retiring  sort  of 
boy,  didn't  like  facing  the  possibiHty  of  blundering  into 
what  might  prove  to  be  private  quarters,  and  things  of  that 
sort.     He  said  as  much  to  me  at  the  time. 

''Well,  when  I  got  back  to  the  office,  I  soon  found  that 
the  business  with  my  visitor  was  a  matter  that  would  take 
some  time  to  settle  —  you  can't  give  a  man  an  estimate  all 
on  a  jump,  and  without  doing  a  bit  of  figuring,  you  know  — ■ 
so  I  told  young  Stan  that  he  might  cut  off  and  go  over  the 
place  on  his  own,  if  he  liked,  as  it  had  been  arranged  that, 
when  knocking-off  time  came,  I  was  to  go  back  with  him  to 
Miss  Larue's  flat,  where  we  all  were  to  have  supper  together. 
When  I  told  him  that,  he  asked  eagerly  if  he  might  go 
up  to  the  wax-figure  department,  as  he  was  particularly 
anxious  to  see  Loti  at  work,  and  so " 


294  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Loti!"  Cleek  flung  in  the  word  so  sharply  that  Trent 
gave  a  nervous  start.  ^' Just  a  moment,  please,  before  you 
go  any  further,  Mr.  Trent.  Sorry  to  interrupt,  but,  teil  me, 
please:  is  the  man  who  models  your  show-window  effigies 
named  Loti,  then?  Is,  eh?  Hum-m!  Any  connection 
by  chance  with  that  once  famous  Itahan  worker  in  wax, 
Giuseppe  Loti  —  chap  that  used  to  make  those  splendid 
wax  tableaux  for  the  Eden  Musee  in  Paris  some  eighteen 
or  twenty  years  ago? '' 

*'Same  chap.  Went  all  to  pieces  all  of  a  sudden  —  clear 
off  his  head  for  a  time,  I've  heard  —  in  the  very  height  of 
his  career,  because  his  wife  left  him.  Handsome  French 
woman  —  years  younger  than  he  —  ran  off  with  another 
chap  and  took  every  blessed  thing  of  value  she  could  lay  her 
hands  upon  when  —  but  maybe  you've  heard  the  story?" 

''I  have,"  said  Cleek.  "It  is  one  that  is  all  too  common 
on  the  Continent.  Also,  it  happened  that  I  was  in  Paris 
at  the  time  of  the  occurrence.  And  so  you  have  that  great 
Giuseppe  Loti  at  the  head  of  your  waxwork  department, 
eh?  What  a  come-down  in  the  world  for  him !  Poor  devil! 
I  thought  he  was  dead  ages  ago.  He  dropped  out  suddenly 
and  disappeared  from  France  entirely  after  that  affair  wdtb 
his  unfaithful  wife.  The  rumour  was  that  he  had  com- 
mitted suicide;  although  that  seemed  as  improbable  as  it 
now  turns  out  to  be,  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  on  the  night 
after  his  wife  left  him  he  turned  up  at  the  Cafe  Royal  and 

pubHcly No  matter !     Go  on  with  the  case,  please. 

What  about  the  boy?" 

''Let's  see,  now,  where  was  I  ?  "  said  Trent,  knotting  up  his 
brow.  "Oh,  ah!  I  recollect  —  just  where  he  asked  me  if 
he  could  go  up  and  see  Loti  at  work.  Of  course,  I  said  that 
he  could;  there  wasn't  any  reason  why  I  shouldn't,  as  the 
place  is  open  to  inspection  always,  so  I  opened  the  door  and 
showed  him  the  way  to  the  staircase  leading  up  to  the  glass- 
room,  and  then  went  to  the  speaking-tube  and  called  up  to 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD,  295 

Loti  to  expect  him,  and  to  treat  him  nicely,  as  he  was  the 
nephew  of  the  great  Miss  Larue  and  would,  in  time,  be 
mine  also." 

*' Was  there  any  necessity  for  taking  that  precaution,  Mr. 
Trent?" 

^'Yes.  Loti  has  developed  a  dashed  bad  temper  since 
last  autumn  and  is  very  eccentric,  very  irritable  —  not  a  bit 
like  the  solemn,  sedate  old  Johnnie  he  used  to  be.  Even  his 
work  has  deteriorated,  I  think,  but  one  daren't  criticise  it 
or  he  fhes  into  a  temper  and  threatens  to  leave." 

*'And  you  don't  wish  him  to,  of  course —  his  name  must 
stand  for  something." 

^'It  stands  for  a  great  deal.  It's  one  of  our  biggest  cards. 
We  can  conmiand  twice  as  much  for  a  Loti  figure  as  for 
one  made  by  any  other  waxworker.  So  we  humour  him  in 
his  little  eccentricities  and  defer  to  him  a  great  deal.  Also, 
as  he  prefers  to  live  on  the  premises,  he  saves  us  money  in 
other  ways.  Serves  for  a  watchman  as  well,  you  under- 
stand." 

*'0h,  he  lives  on  the  premises,  does  he?  Where?  Li 
the  glass- room?" 

^'Oh,  no;  that  would  not  be  possible.  The  character  as 
well  as  the  position  of  that  renders  it  impossible  as  a  place 
of  habitation.  He  uses  it  after  hours  as  a  sort  of  sitting- 
room,  to  be  sure,  and  has  partly  fitted  it  up  as  one,  but  he 
sleeps,  eats,  and  dresses  in  a  room  on  the  floor  below. 

''Not  an  adjoining  one?  " 

''Oh,  no;  an  adjoining  room  would  be  an  impossibility. 
Our  building  is  an  end  one,  standing  on  the  corner  of  a  short 
passage  which  leads  to  nothing  but  a  narrow  alley  running 
along  parallel  with  the  back  of  our  premises,  and  the  glass- 
room  covers  nearly  the  entire  roof  of  it.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  Mr.  Cleek,  although  we  call  it  that  at  the  works,  th© 
term  Glass  Room  is  a  misnomer.  In  reality,  it's  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  a  good  sized  'lean-to'  greenhouse  that 


296 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 


the  dad  bought  and  had  taken  up  there  in  sections,  and  its 
rear  elevation  rests  against  the  side  wall  of  a  still  higher 
building  than  ours,  next  door  —  the  premises  of  Storminger 
the  carriage  builder,  to  be  exact.  But  look  here:  perhaps 
I  can  make  the  situation  clearer  by  a  rough  sketch.  Got 
a  lead  pencil  and  a  bit  of  paper,  anybody?  Oh,  thanks  very 
much,  dear.  One  can  always  rely  upon  yoii.  Now,  look 
here,  Mr.  Cleek  —  this  is  the  way  of  it.  You  mustn't  mind 
if  it's  a  crude  thing,  because,  you  know,  I'm  a  rotten  bad 
draughtsman  and  can't  draw  for  nuts.  But  all  the  same, 
this  will  do  at  a  pinch." 

Here  he  leaned  over  the  table  in  the  centre  of  the  room 
and,  taking  the  pencil  and  the  blank  back  of  the  letter  which 
Miss  Larue  had  supplied,  made  a  crude  outhne  sketch  thus: 


"There  you  are,"  he  said  suddenly,  lajdng  the  crude 
drawing  on  the  table  before  Cleek,  and  with  him  bending 
over  it.     "You  are  supposed  to  be  looking  at  the  houses 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  297 

from  the  main  thoroughfare,  don't  you  know,  and,  there- 
fore, at  the  front  of  them.  This  tall  building  on  the  left 
marked  i  is  Storminger's;  the  low  one,  number  2,  adjoining, 
is  ours;  and  that  cageHke-looking  thing,  3,  on  the  top  of  it, 
is  the  glass-room.  Now,  along  the  front  of  it  here,  where 
I  have  put  the  long  line  with  an  X  on  the  end,  there  runs  a 
wooden  partition  with  a  door  leading  into  the  room  itself, 
so  that  it's  impossible  for  anybody  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  main  thoroughfare  to  see  into  the  place  at  all.  But 
that  is  not  the  case  with  regard  to  people  living  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  short  passage  (this  is  here,  that  I've 
marked  4),  because  there's  nothing  to  obstruct  the  "view 
but  some  rubbishy  old  lace  curtains  which  Xoti,  in  his  en- 
deavour to  make  the  place  what  he  calls  homeHke,  would 
insist  upon  hanging,  and  tliey  are  so  blessed  thin  that  any- 
body can  look  right  through  them  and  see  all  over  the  place. 
Of  course,  though,  there  are  bhnds,  which  he  can  pull  down 
on  the  inside  if  the  sun  gets  too  strong;  and  when  they  are 
down,  nobody  can  see  into  the  glass-room  at  all.  Pardon? 
Oh,  we  had  it  constructed  of  glass,  Mr.  Narkom,  because  of 
the  necessity  for  having  all  the  Hght  obtainable  in  doing  the 
minute  work  on  some  of  the  fine  tableaux  we  produce  for 
execution  purposes.  We  are  doing  one  now  —  The  Relief 
of  Lucknow  —  for  the  big  exhibition  that's  to  be  given  next 

month  at  Olympia  and The  place  marked  6  at  the 

back  of  our  building?  Oh,  that's  the  narrow  alley  of  which 
I  spoke.  We've  a  back  door  opening  into  it,  but  it's  prac- 
tically useless,  because  the  alley  is  so  narrow  one  can't  drive 
a  vehicle  through  it.  It's  simply  a  right  of  way  that  can't 
legally  be  closed  and  runs  from  Croom  Street  on  the  right 
just  along  as  far  as  Sturgiss  Lane  on  the  left.  Not  fifty 
people  pass  through  it  in  a  day's  time. 

''But  to  come  back  to  the  short  passage,  Mr.  Cleek.  Ob- 
serve, there  are  no  windows  at  all  on  the  side  of  our  build- 
ing, here :  Number  2.    There  were,  once  upon  a  time,  but  we 


298  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

had  them  bricked  up,  as  we  use  that  side  for  a  ^paint  frame' 
with  a  movable  bridge  so  that  it  can  be  used  for  the  purpose 
of  painting  scenery  and  drop-curtains.  But  there  are  win- 
dows in  the  side  of  the  house  marked  5;  and  directly  op- 
posite the  point  where  I've  put  the  arrow  there  is  one  which 
belongs  to  a  room  occupied  by  a  Mrs.  Sherman  and  her 
daughter  —  people  who  do  ^  bushel  work'  for  wholesale 
costume  houses.  Now,  it  happens  that  at  the  exact  time 
when  the  porter  says  he  showed  young  Stan  into  the  glass- 
room  those  two  women  were  sitting  at  work  by  that  win- 
dow, and,  the  bHnds  not  being  drawn,  could  see  smack  into 
the  place,  and  are  willing  to  take  their  oath  that  there  was 
no  Hving  soul  in  it." 

*'How  do  they  fix  it  as  being,  as  you  say,  'the  exact  time,' 
Mr.  Trent?  If  they  couldn't  see  the  porter  come  up  to  the 
giass-room  with  the  boy,  how  can  they  be  sure  of  that?'* 

''Oh,  that's  easily  explained:  There's  a  church  not  a 
great  way  distant.  It  has  a  clock  in  the  steeple  which 
strikes  the  hours,  halves,  and  quarters.  Mrs.  Sherman  says 
that  when  it  chimed  half-past  four  she  was  not  only  looking 
into  the  glass-room,  but  was  calHng  her  daughter's  attention 
to  the  fact  that,  whereas  some  few  minutes  previously  she 
had  seen  Loti  go  out  of  the  place,  leaving  a  great  pile  of 
reference  plates  and  scraps  of  material  all  over  the  floor, 
and  he  had  never,  to  her  positive  knowledge,  come  back 
into  it,  there  was  the  room  looking  as  tidy  as  possible,  and, 
in  the  middle  of  it,  a  table  with  a  vase  of  pink  roses  upon  it, 
which  she  certainly  had  not  seen  there  when  he  left." 

' '  Hallo !  Hallo ! ' '  interjected  Cleek  rather  sharply.  ' '  Let's 
have  that  again,  please!"  and  he  sat  listening  intently 
while  Trent  repeated  the  statement;  then,  of  a  sudden, 
he  gave  his  head  an  upward  twitch,  slapped  his  thigh, 
and,  leaning  back  in  his  seat,  added  with  a  brief  little 
laugh,  ''Well,  of  all  the  bhthering  idiots!  And  a  simple 
little  thing  like  that!" 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  299 

"Like  what,  Mr.  Cleek?"  queried  Trent,  in  amazement. 
^' You  don't  surely  mean  to  say  that  you  can  make  anything 
important  out  of  a  table  and  a  vase  of  flowers?  Because, 
I  may  tell  you  that  Loti  is  mad  on  flowers,  and  always  has 
a  vase  of  them  in  the  room  somewhere." 

"Does  he,  indeed?  Natural  inclination  of  the  artistic 
temperament,  I  dare  say.  But  never  mind,  get  on  with  the 
story.  Mrs.  Sherman  fixes  the  hour  when  she  noticed  this 
as  half -past  four,  you  say?  How,  then,  does  the  porter  who 
showed  the  boy  into  the  glass-room  fix  it,  may  I  ask?" 

"By  the  same  means  precisely  —  the  striking  of  the 
church  clock.  He  remembers  hearing  it  just  as  he  reached 
the  partition  door,  and  was,  indeed,  at  particular  pains  to 
take  out  his  watch  to  see  if  it  talKed  with  it.  Also,  three 
of  our  scene  painters  were  passing  along  the  hall  at  the  foot 
of  the  short  flight  of  steps  leading  up  to  the  glass-room  at 
the  time.  They  were  going  out  to  tea;  and  one  of  them 
sang  out  to  him  laughingly,  'Hallo,  Ginger,  how  does  that 
two-shilHng  turnip  of  yours  make  it?  Time  for  tea  at 
Buckingham  Palace? '  for  he  had  won  the  watch  at  a  singing 
contest  only  the  night  before,  and  his  mates  had  been  chaff- 
ing him  about  it  all  day.  In  that  manner  the  exact  time 
of  his  going  to  the  door  with  the  boy  is  fixed,  and  with  three 
persons  to  corroborate  it.  A  second  later  the  porter  saw 
the  boy  push  open  the  swing-door  and  walk  into  the  place, 
and  as  he  turned  and  went  back  downstairs  he  distinctly 
heard  him  say,  'Good  afternoon,  sir.  Mr.  Trent  said  I 
might  come  up  and  watch,  if  you  don't  mind.' " 

"Did  he  hear  anybody  reply?" 

"No,  he  did  not.     He  heard  no  one  speak  but  the  boy." 

"I  see.  So,  then,  there  is  no  actual  proof  that  Loti  was 
in  there  at  the  time,  which,  of  course,  makes  the  testimony 
of  Mrs.  Sherman  and  her  daughter  appear  reliable  when 
they  say  that  the  room  was  empty." 

"Still  the  boy  was    there   if   Loti   wasn't,  Mr.  Cleek. 


300  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

There's  proof  enough  that  he  did  go  into  the  place  even 
though  those  two  women  declare  that  the  room  was  empty." 

^' Quite  so,  quite  so.  And  when  two  and  two  don't  make 
four,  'there's  something  rotten  in  the  state  of  Denmark.' 
WTiat  does  Loti  himself  say  with  regard  to  the  circumstance? 
Or  hasn't  he  been  spoken  to  about  it?  " 

''My  hat,  yes!  I  went  to  him  about  it  the  very  first 
thing.  He  says  the  boy  never  put  in  an  appearance,  to  his 
knowledge;  that  he  never  saw  him.  In  fact,  that  just  be- 
fore half-past  four  he  was  taken  ^vith  a  violent  attack  of  sick 
headache,  the  result  of  the  fumes  rising  from  the  w^ax  he  was 
melting  to  model  figures  for  the  tableau,  together  with  the 
smell  of  the  chemicals  used  in  preparing  the  background, 
and  that  he  went  down  to  his  room  to  lie  down  for  a  time 
and  dropped  off  to  sleep.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  there 
in  his  room  sleeping  when,  at  half-past  six,  I  went  for  the 
boy,  and,  finding  the  glass-room  vacated,  naturally  set  out 
to  hunt  up  Loti  and  question  him  about  the  matter." 

''When  you  called  up  to  the  glass-room  through  the 
speaking-tube,  to  say  that  the  boy  was  about  to  go  up,  who 
answered  you  —  Loti  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"At  what  tim.e  was  that?     Or  can't  you  say  positively?" 

"Not  to  the  fraction  of  a  moment.  But  I  should  say  that 
it  was  about  four  or  five  minutes  before  the  boy  got  there  — - 
say  about  five-and-twenty  minutes  past  four.  It  wouldn't 
take  him  longer  to  get  up  to  the  top  of  the  house,  I  fancy, 
and  he  certainly  did  not  stop  at  any  of  the  other  depart- 
ments on  the  way." 

"Queer,  isn't  it,  that  the  m_an  should  not  have  stopped  to 
so  much  as  welcome  the  boy  after  you  had  been  at  such 
pains  to  tell  him  to  be  nice  to  him?  Does  he  offer  any  ex- 
planation on  that  score?  " 

"Yes.  He  says  that,  as  his  head  was  so  bad,  he  knew 
that  he  would  probably  be  cross  and  crotchety;  so  as  I  had 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  301 

asked  him  to  be  kind,  he  thought  the  best  thing  he  could 
do  was  to  leave  a  note  on  the  table  for  the  boy,  telling  him 
to  make  himself  at  home  and  to  examine  anything  he  pleased, 
but  to  be  sure  not  to  touch  the  cauldron  in  which  the  wax 
was  simmering,  as  it  tilted  readily  and  he  might  get  scalded. 
He  was  sorry  to  have  to  go,  but  his  head  ached  so  badly  that 
he  really  had  to  lie  down  for  a  while. 

^'That  note,  I  may  tell  you,  was  lying  on  the  table  when  I 
went  up  to  the  glass-room  and  failed  to  find  the  boy.  It 
was  that  which  told  me  where  to  go  in  order  to  find  Loti 
and  question  him.  I'll  do  him  the  credit  of  stating  that 
when  he  heard  of  the  boy's  mysterious  disappearance  he 
flung  his  headache  and  his  creature  comforts  to  the  winds 
and  joined  in  the  eager  hunt  for  him  as  excitedly  and  as 
strenuously  as  anybody.  He  went  through  the  building 
from  top  to  bottom;  he  lifted  every  trapdoor,  crept  into 
every  nook  and  corner  and  hole  and  box  into  which  it  might 
be  possible  for  the  poor  little  chap  to  have  fallen.  But 
it  was  all  useless,  Mr.  Cleek  —  every  bit  of  it!  The  boy 
had  vanished,  utterly  and  completely;  from  the  minute 
the  porter  saw  him  pass  the  swing-door  and  go  into  the  glass- 
room  we  never  discovered  even  the  slightest  trace  of  him, 
nor  have  we  been  able  to  do  so  since.  He  has  gone,  he  has 
vanished,  as  completely  as  if  he  had  melted  into  thin  air, 
and  if  there  is  any  ghost  of  a  clue  to  his  whereabouts  exist- 
ing   " 

"Let  us  go  and  see  if  we  can  unearth  it,"  interrupted 
Cleek,  rising.  ''Mr.  Narkom,  is  the  limousine  within  easy 
reach?" 

''Yes,  waiting  in  Tavistock  Street,  dear  chap.  I  told 
Lennard  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  us." 

"Good!  Then  if  Miss  Larue  will  allow  Mr.  Trent  to 
escort  her  as  far  as  the  pavement,  and  he  will  then  go  on 
alone  to  his  place  of  business  and  await  us  there,  you  and  I 
will  leave  the  hotel  by  the  back  way  and  join  him  as  soon 


S02      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

as  possible.  Leave  by  the  front  entrance  if  you  be  so  kind; 
and  —  pardon,  one  last  word,  Mr.  Trent,  before  you  go.  At 
the  time  when  this  boy's  father  vanished  in  much  the  same 
way,  eleven  months  ago,  you  had,  I  beheve,  a  door  porter 
at  your  establishment  name  Felix  Murchison.  Is  that 
man  still  in  your  employ?" 

''No,  Mr.  Cleek.  He  left  about  a  week  or  so  after  James 
ColHver's  disappearance." 

''Know  where  he  is?" 

"Not  the  slightest  idea.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  suddenly 
inherited  some  money,  and  said  he  was  going  to  emigrate  to 
America.     But  I  don't  know  if  he  did  or  not.     Why?  " 

"Oh,  nothing  in  particular  —  only  that  I  shouldn't  be 
surprised  if  the  person  who  suppKed  that  money  was  the 
pawnbroker  who  received  in  pledge  the  jewels  which  your 
father  handed  over  to  James  ColHver,  and  that  the  simi 
which  Felix  Murchison  'inherited'  so  suddenly  was  the 
^^150  advanced  upon  those  gems." 

"How  utterly  absurd!  My  dear  Mr.  Cleek,  you  must 
surely  remember  that  the  pawnbroker  said  the  chap  who 
pawned  the  jewels  was  a  gentlemanly  appearing  person,  of 
good  manners  and  speech,  and  Murchison  is  the  last  man 
in  the  world  to  answer  to  that  description.  A  great  hulk- 
ing, bull-necked,  ilHterate  animal  of  that  sort,  without 
an  H  in  his  vocabulary  and  with  no  more  manners  than  a 
pig!" 

"Precisely  why  I  feel  so  certain  now  that  the  pawnbro- 
ker's 'advance'  was  paid  over  to  him/'  said  Cleek,  with  a 
twitch  of  the  shoulder.  "Live  and  learn,  my  friend,  Uve 
and  learn.  Eleven  months  ago  I  couldn't  for  the  life  of  me 
understand  why  those  jewels  had  been  pawned  at  all;  to-day 
I  realize  that  it  was  the  only  possible  course.  Miss  Larue, 
my  compliments.  Au  revoir."  And  he  bowed  her  out  of 
the  room  with  the  grace  of  a  courtier,  standing  well  out  of 
sight  from  the  hallway  imtil  the  door  had  closed  behind  her 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  303 

and  her  companion  and  he  was  again  alone  with  the  super- 
intendent. 

*'Now  for  it!  as  they  used  to  say  in  the  old  melodramas/* 
he  laughed,  stepping  sharply  to  a  wardrobe  and  producing, 
first,  a  broad-brimmed  cavalry  hat,  which  he  immediately 
put  on,  and  then  a  pair  of  bright  steel  handcuffs.  ''We 
may  have  use  for  this  very  effective  type  of  wristlets,  Mr. 
Narkom;  so  it's  well  to  go  prepared  for  emergencies.  Now 
then,  off  with  you  while  I  lock  he  door.  That's  the  way  to 
the  staircase.  Nip  down  it  to  the  American  bar.  There's  a 
passage  from  that  leading  out  to  the  Embankment  Gar- 
dens. A  taxi  from  there  will  whisk  us  along  Savoy  Street, 
across  the  Strand  and  up  Wellington  Street  to  Tavistock 
in  less  than  no  time;  so  we  may  look  to  be  with  Lennard 
inside  of  another  ten  minutes." 

''Righto!"  gave  back  the  superintendent.  "And  I  can 
get  rid  of  this  dashed  rig  as  soon  as  we're  in  the  limousine. 
But,  I  say;  any  ideas,  old  chap  —  eh?  " 

"Yes,  two  or  three.  One  of  them  is  that  this  is  going  to 
be  one  of  the  simplest  cases  I  ever  tackled.  Lay  you  a 
sovereign  to  a  sixpence,  Mr.  Narkom,  that  I  solve  the  riddle 
of  that  glass-room  before  they  ring  up  the  curtain  of  any 
theatre  in  London  to-night.  What's  that?  Lying?  No, 
certainly  not.  There's  been  no  lying  in  the  matter  at  all; 
it  isn't  a  case  of  that  sort.  The  pawnbroker  did  not  He;  the 
porter  who  says  he  showed  the  boy  into  the  room  did  not 
lie ;  and  the  two  women  who  looked  into  it  and  saw  nothing 
but  an  empty  room  did  not  He  either.  The  only  thing  that 
did  He  was  a  vase  of  pink  roses  —  a  bunch  of  natural  An- 
aniases  that  tried  to  make  people  believe  that  they  had 
been  blooming  and  keeping  fresh  ever  since  last  August!" 

"Good  Lord!  you  don't  surely  think  that  that  Loti 
chap " 

"  Gently,  gently,  my  friend;  don't  let  yourself  get  excited. 
Besides,  I  may  be  all  at  sea,  for  all  my  cocksureness.     I 


304  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

don't  think  I  am,  but  —  one  never  knows.  I'll  tell  you 
one  thing,  however:  The  man  with  whom  Madame  Loti 
eloped  had,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  intrigue, 
enlisted  as  a  student  under  her  husband,  and  gulled  the 
poor  fool  by  pretending  that  he  wished  to  learn  waxwork 
making,  when  his  one  desire  was  to  make  love  to  the  man's 
worthless  wife.  When  they  eloped,  and  Loti  knew  for  the 
first  time  what  a  dupe  he  had  been,  he  pubHcly  swore, 
in  the  open  room  of  the  Cafe  Royal,  that  he  would  never 
rest  until  he  had  run  that  man  down  and  had  exterminated 
him  and  every  Hving  creature  in  whose  veins  his  blood 
flowed.  The  man  was  an  English  actor,  Mr.  Narkom.  He 
posed  under  the  nom  de  theatre  of  Jason  Monteith  —  his 
real  name  was  James  Colliver!  Step  livelier,  please — • 
we're  dawdling!" 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

THEY  that  climb  the  highest  have  the  farthest  to  fall. 
It  was  after  five  o'clock  when  the  limousine  ar- 
rived at  the  premises  of  Trent  &  Son,  and  Cleek,  guided  by 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm  and  accompanied  by  Super- 
intendent Narkom,  climbed  the  steep  stairs  to  the  housetop 
and  was  shown  into  the  glass-room. 

His  first  impression,  as  the  door  swung  inward,  was  of  a 
scent  of  flowers  so  heavy  as  to  be  oppressive;  his  second,  of 
entering  into  a  light  so  brilliant  that  it  seemed  a  very  glare 
of  gold,  for  the  low-dropped  sun,  which  yellowed  all  the  sky, 
flooded  the  place  with  a  radiance  which  made  him  bHnk, 
and  it  was  some  little  time  before  his  eyes  could  accustom 
themselves  to  it  sufficient  to  let  him  discover  that  the  old 
Italian  waxworker  was  there,  busy  on  his  latest  tableau. 

Cleek  bhnked  and  looked  at  the  old  man,  serenely  at  first, 
then  blinked  and  looked  again,  conscious  of  an  overwhelm- 
ing sense  of  amazement  and  defeat  for  just  one  fraction  of 
a  minute,  and  that  some  of  his  cocksure  theories  regarding 
the  case  had  suddenly  been  knocked  into  a  cocked  hat. 

No  wonder  Mr.  Harrison  Trent  had  spoken  of  deteriora- 
tion in  the  art  of  this  once  celebrated  modeller.  No  won- 
der! 

The  man  was  not  Giuseppe  Loti  at  all!  —  not  that  world- 
famed  worker  in  wax  who  had  sworn  in  those  bitter  other 
days  to  have  the  life  of  the  vanished  James  Colliver. 


805 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

C LEEK'S  equanimity  did  not  desert  him,  however.  It 
was  one  of  his  strong  points  that  he  always  kept  his 
mental  balance  even  when  his  most  promising  theories  were 
deracinated.  He  therefore  showed  not  the  slightest  trace 
of  the  disappointment  with  which  this  utterly  unexpected 
discovery  had  filled  him,  but,  with  the  most  placid  exterior 
imaginable,  suffered  himself  to  be  introduced  to  the  old 
waxworker,  who  was  at  the  time  working  assiduously  upon 
the  huge  tableau-piece  designed  for  the  forthcoming  Indian 
Exhibition,  a  well-executed  assembly  of  figures  which  oc- 
cupied a  considerable  portion  of  the  rear  end  of  the  glass- 
room,  and  represented  that  moment  when  the  rehef  force 
burst  through  the  stockade  at  Lucknow  and  came  to  the 
rescue  of  the  beleaguered  garrison. 

''A  couple  of  gentlemen  from  Scotland  Yard,  Loti,  who 
have  come  to  look  into  the  matter  of  young  ColHver's  dis- 
appearance," was  the  way  in  which  Trent  made  that  intro- 
duction. *'You  can  go  on  with  your  work;  they  won't 
interfere  with  you." 

''Welcome,  gentlemen  —  most  welcome,"  said  Loti,  with 
that  courtesy  which  Continental  people  never  quite  forget; 
then  nodded,  and  went  on  with  his  work  as  he  had  been 
told,  adding,  with  a  mournful  shake  of  the  head:  "Ah!  a 
strange  business  that,  signori;  an  exceedingly  strange  busi- 
ness." 

"Very,"  agreed  Cleek  off-handedly  and  from  the  other 
end  of  the  room.  "Rippin'  quarters,  these,  signor;  and 
now  that  I've  seen  'em  I  don't  mind  confessing  that  my  pet 

306 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  307 

theory  has  gone  all  to  smash  and  I'm  up  a  gum-tree,  so  to 
speak.  I'd  an  idea,  you  know,  that  there  might  be  a  slid- 
ing-panel  or  a  trapdoor  which  you  chaps  here  might  have 
overlooked,  and  down  which  the  boy  might  have  dropped, 
or  maybe  gone  on  a  little  explorin'  expedition  of  his  own, 
don't  you  know,  and  hadn't  been  able  to  get  back." 

''Well,  of  all  the  idiotic  ideas  —  ,"  began  Trent,  but  was 
suffered  to  get  no  further. 

"Yes,  isn't  it?"  agreed  Cleek,  with  his  best  blithering- 
idiot  air.  "I  realize  that,  now  that  I  see  your  floor's  of 
concrete.  Necessary,  I  suppose,  on  account  of  the  chemi- 
cals and  the  inflammable  nature  of  the  wax?  You  could 
have  a  rippin'  old  flare-up  here  if  that  stuff  was  to  catch  fire 
from  a  dropped  match  or  anything  of  that  sort  —  eh,  what? 
Blest  if  I  can  see"  —  turning  slowly  on  his  heel  and  looking 
all  round  the  room  — "a  ghost  of  a  place  where  the  young 
nipper  could  have  got.  It's  a  facer  for  me.  But,  I  say" 
—  as  if  suddenly  struck  with  an  idea  —  "you  don't  think 
that  he  nipped  something  valuable  and  cut  off  with  it,  do 
you?  Didn't  miss  any  money  or  anything  of  that  sort  which 
you'd  left  lying  about,  did  you,  Mr.  —  er  —  Lotus,  eh?" 

"Loti,  if  you  please,  signor.  I  had  indeed  hoped  that  my 
name  was  well  known  enough  to —  Potiffe!  No,  I  miss 
nothing  —  I  miss  not  so  much  as  a  pin.  I  am  told  he  shall 
not  have  been  that  kind  of  a  boy."  And  then,  with  a  shake 
of  the  head  and  a  pitying  glance  toward  the  author  of  these 
two  asinine  theories  regarding  the  strange  disappearance, 
returned  to  his  work  of  putting  the  finishing  touches  to  a 
recumbent  figure  representing  a  dead  soldier  lying  in  the 
foreground  of  the  tableau. 

"Oh,  well,  you  never  can  tell  what  boys  will  do;  and  it's 
an  old  saying  that  'a  good  booty  makes  many  a  thief,'" 
replied  Cleek  airily.  "Reckon  I'll  have  to  hunt  up  some- 
thing a  bit  more  promising,  then.  Don't  mind  my  poking 
about  a  bit,  do  you?" 


308  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''Not  in  the  slightest,  signor,"  replied  the  Italian,  and 
glanced  sympathizingly  up  at  Trent  and  gave  his  shoulders  a 
significant  shrug,  as  if  to  say:  ''Is  this  the  best  that  Scot- 
land Yard  can  turn  out?"  when  Cleek  began  turning  over 
costume  plates  and  looking  under  books  and  scraps  of 
material  which  lay  scattered  about  the  floor,  and  even  took 
to  examining  the  jugs  and  vases  and  tumblers  m  which  the 
signor's  bunches  of  cut  flowers  were  placed.  There  were 
many  of  them  —  on  tables  and  chairs  and  shelves,  and  even 
on  the  platform  of  the  tableau  itself  —  so  many,  in  fact, 
that  he  was  minded,  by  their  profusion,  of  what  Trent 
had  said  regarding  the  old  waxworker's  great  love  of  flowers. 

He  looked  round  the  room,  in  an  apparently  perfunctory 
manner,  but  in  reality  with  a  photographic  eye  for  its  every 
detail,  finding  that  it  agreed  in  every  particular  with  the 
description  which  Trent  had  given  him. 

There  were  the  cheap  lace  curtains  all  along  the  glazed 
side  which  overlooked  the  short  passage  leading  down  to  the 
narrow  alley,  but  they  were  of  so  thin  a  quality,  and  so 
scantily  patterned,  that  the  mesh  did  not  obstruct  the  view 
in  any  manner,  merely  rendering  it  a  trifle  hazy;  for  he  could 
himself  see  from  where  he  stood  the  window  in  the  side  of 
the  house  opposite,  and,  seated  at  that  window,  Mrs.  Sher- 
man and  her  daughter,  busy  at  their  endless  sewing. 

And  there,  too,  were  the  blinds  —  strong  blue  linen  ones 
running  on  rings  and  cords  —  with  which,  as  he  had  been 
told,  it  was  possible  to  arrange  the  light  as  occasion  required. 
They  w^re  fashioned  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  those 
seen  in  the  studios  of  photographers  —  several  sectional 
ones  overhead  and  one  long  one  for  that  side  of  the  room 
which  overlooked  the  short  passage;  and,  as  showing  how 
minute  was  Cleek's  inspection  for  all  its  seeming  indiffer- 
ence, it  may  be  remarked  that  he  observed  a  peculiarity 
regarding  that  long  bUnd  which  not  one  person  in  a  hundred 
would  have  noticed.     That  is  to  say,  that,  whereas,  when 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  309 

one  looks  at  a  window  from  the  interior  of  a  room,  one  in- 
variably finds  that  the  blinds  are  against  the  glass,  and  that 
the  curtains  are  so  hung  as  to  be  behind  them  when  viewed 
from  the  street,  here  was  a  case  of  the  exactly  opposite 
arrangement  being  put  into  force;  to  wit:  It  was  the  lace 
curtains  which  hung  against  the  window  panes  and  the  big 
blind  which  was  next  the  room,  so  that,  if  pulled  down,  a 
person  standing  within  would  see  no  lace  curtains  at  all, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  would  remain  distinctly  visible 
to  anybody  standing  without. 

If  this  small  discrepancy  called  for  any  comment,  Cleek 
made  none  audibly;  merely  glanced  at  the  bhnd  and  glanced 
away  again,  and  went  on  examining  the  books  and  the  vases 
of  flowers,  and  continued  his  apparently  aimless  wandering 
about  the  room. 

Of  a  sudden,  however,  he  did  a  singular  thing,  one  which 
was  fraught  with  much  significance  to  Mr.  Narkom,  who 
knew  the  "signs"  so  well.  His  wandering  had  brought 
him  within  touching  distance  of  the  busy  waxworker,  who, 
just  at  that  moment,  half  turned  and  stretched  forth  his 
hand  to  pick  up  a  tool  which  had  fallen  to  the  floor,  the 
act  of  recovering  which  sent  his  wrist  protruding  a  bit  be- 
yond the  cuff  of  his  working-blouse.  What  Narkom  saw 
was  the  quick  twitch  of  Cleek's  eye  in  the  direction  of  that 
hand,  then  its  swift  travelling  to  the  man's  face  and  trav- 
elling off  again  to  other  things;  and  he  knew  what  was 
coming  when  his  great  ally  began  to  pat  his  pockets  and 
rummage  about  his  person  as  if  endeavouring  to  find  some- 
thing. 

"My  luck!"  said  Cleek,  with  an  impatient  jerk  of  the 
head.  "Not  a  blessed  cigarette  with  me,  Mr.  Narkom;  and 
you  know  what  a  duffer  I  am  if  I  can't  smoke  when  I'm 
trying  to  think.  I  say  —  nip  out,  will  you,  and  get  me  a 
packet?  There!"  —  scribbling  something  on  a  leaf  from 
his  notebook  and  pushing  it  into   the   superintendent's 


310  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

hand  —  "that's  the  brand  I  like.  It's  no  use  bringing  me 
any  other.  Look  'em  up  for  me,  will  you?  There's  a  good 
friend." 

Narkom  made  no  reply,  but  merely  left  the  room  with  the 
paper  crumpled  in  his  shut  hand  and  went  downstairs  as 
fast  as  he  could  travel.  What  he  did  in  the  interval  is  a 
matter  for  further  consideration.  At  present  it  need  only 
be  said  that  had  any  one  looked  across  the  short  passage 
some  eight  or  ten  minutes  after  his  departure  Narkom 
might  have  been  seen  standing  in  the  background  of  the 
room  at  whose  window  Mrs.  Sherman  and  her  daughter 
still  sat  sewing. 

Meanwhile  Cleek  appeared  to  have  forgotten  all  about 
the  matter  which  was  the  prime  reason  for  his  presence  in 
the  place  and  to  have  become  absorbingly  interested  in  the 
business  of  tableau  making,  for  he  pHed  the  old  Itahan  with 
endless  questions  relative  to  the  one  he  was  engaged  in  con- 
structing. 

"Jip!  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  make  the 
whole  blessed  thing  yourself,  do  you —  model  the  figures, 
group  'em,  paint  the  blessed  background,  and  all?"  said 
he,  with  yokel-like  amazement.  "You  do?  My  hat!  but 
you're  a  wonder!  That  background's  one  of  the  best  I've 
ever  clapped  eyes  on.  And  the  figures !  I  could  swear  that 
that  fellow  bursting  in  with  a  sword  in  his  hand  was  ahve  if 
I  didn't  know  better;  and  as  for  this  dead  Johnnie  here  in  the 
foreground  that  you're  working  on,  he's  a  marvel.  What  do 
you  stuff  the  blessed  things  with?  Or  don't  you  stuff  'em 
at  all?" 

"Oh,  yes,  signor,  they  are  stuffed,  all  of  them.  There 
is  a  wicker  framework  covered  with  canvas;  and  inside  cot- 
ton waste,  old  paper,  straw." 

"You  don't  mean  it!  Well,  I'm  blest!  Nothing  but 
waste  stuff  and  straw?  Why,  that  fellow  over  there  —  the 
Sepoy  chap  with  the  gun  in  his  hands Oh,  good  Lord ! 


^CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  311 

just  my  blessed  luck!  I  hope  to  heaven  I  haven't  spoilt 
anything!"  For,  in  leaning  over  to  indicate  the  figure 
alluded  to,  he  had  blundered  against  the  edge  of  the  low 
platform,  lost  his  balance,  and  sprawled  over  so  awkwardly 
and  abruptly  that,  but  for  the  fact  that  the  figure  of  the 
dead  soldier  was  there  for  his  hand  to  fall  upon  in  time  to 
check  it,  he  must  have  pitched  headlong  into  the  very  heart 
of  the  tableau,  and  done  no  end  of  damage.  Fortunately, 
however,  not  a  figure  had  been  thrown  down,  and  even  the 
^'dead  soldier"  had  stood  the  shock  uncormnonly  well,  not 
even  a  dent  showing,  though  Cleek  had  come  down  rather 
heavily  and  his  palm  had  struck  smack  on  the  figure's  chest. 

*^Tut!  tut!  tut!  tut!"  exclaimed  the  Italian  with  angry 
impatience.  "Oh,  do  have  a  Httle  care,  signor!  The 
bull  in  a  china-shop  is  alone  like  this."  And  he  turned  his 
back  upon  this  stupid  blunderer,  even  though  Cleek  was 
profuse  in  his  apologies,  and  looked  as  sorry  as  he  declared. 
After  a  time,  however,  he  went  off  on  another  tack,  for 
Ms  quick- travelling  glance  had  shown  him  Mr.  Narkom  in 
the  house  across  the  passage,  and  he  turned  on  his  heel  and 
walked  away  rapidly. 

"Tell  you  what  it  is:  it's  this  blessed  glare  of  Ught  that's 
accountable,"  he  said.  "A  body's  likely  to  stumble  over 
anything  with  the  light  streaming  into  the  place  in  this 
fashion.  What  you  want  in  here  is  a  bit  of  shade  —  like 
this." 

Here  he  crossed  the  room  hastily  and,  reaching  up,  pulled 
down  the  long  window  bHnd  with  a  sudden  jerk.  But  be- 
fore either  Trent  or  the  Italian  could  offer  any  objection  to 
this  interference  with  the  conditions  under  which  the  wax- 
worker  chose  to  conduct  his  labours,  he  seemed,  himself,  to 
reahze  that  the  proceeding  did  not  mend  matters,  and,  re- 
leasing his  hold  upon  the  bhnd,  let  the  spring  of  the  roller 
carry  it  up  again  to  its  original  position.  As  he  did  this 
he  said  with  a  peculiarly  asinine  air: 


312  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

''That's  a  bit  worse  than  the  other,  by  Jip!  Makes  the 
blessed  place  too  dashed  dark  altogether;  so  it's  not  the 
light  that's  to  blame  after  all." 

''I  should  have  thought  even  a  fool  might  have  known 
that!"  gave  back  the  waxworker,  almost  savagely.  ''The 
light  is  poor  enough  as  it  is.  Look  for  yourself.  It  is  only 
the  afterglow  —  and  even  that  is  already  decUning.  Pouffe!^* 
And  here,  as  if  in  disgust  too  great  for  words,  he  blew  the 
breath  from  his  lips  with  a  sharp,  short  gust,  and  facing 
about  again  went  back  to  his  work  on  the  tableau. 

Cleek  made  no  response;  nor  yet  did  Trent.  By  this  time 
even  he  had  begun  to  think  that  accident  more  than  brains 
must  have  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  man's  many  successes; 
that  he  was,  in  reality,  nothing  more  than  a  blundering 
muddler;  and,  after  another  ten  minutes  of  putting  up  with 
his  crazy  methods,  had  just  made  up  his  mind  to  appeal  to 
Narkom  for  the  aid  of  another  detective,  when  the  end  which 
was  all  along  being  prepared  came  with  such  a  rush  that  it 
fairly  made  his  head  swim. 

All  that  he  was  ever  able  clearly  to  recall  of  it  was  that 
there  came  a  sudden  sound  of  clattering  footsteps  rushing 
pell-mell  up  the  staircase ;  that  the  partition  door  was  flung 
open  abruptly  to  admit  Mr.  Maverick  Narkom,  with  three 
or  four  of  the  firm's  employees  pressing  close  upon  his  heels ; 
that  the  superintendent  had  but  just  cried  out  excitedly, 
*'Yes,  man,  yesf'  when  there  arose  a  wild  clatter  of  falHng 
figures,  a  snarl,  a  scuffle,  a  cry,  and  that,  when  he  faced 
round  in  the  direction  of  it,  there  was  the  Lucknow  tableau 
piled  up  in  a  heap  of  fallen  scenery  and  smashed  waxworks, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  ruin  there  was  the  ''signor"  lying 
on  his  back  with  a  band  of  steel  upon  each  wrist,  and  over 
him  Cleek,  with  a  knee  on  the  man's  chest  and  the  look  of 
a  fury  in  his  eyes,  crying  aloud:  ''Come  out  of  it!  Come 
out  of  it,  you  brute-beast!     Your  httle  dodge  has  failed!" 

And  hard  on  the  heels  of  that  shock  Mr.  Trent  received 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  313 

another.  For  of  a  sudden  he  saw  Cleek  pluck  a  wig  from 
the  man's  head  and  leave  a  white  line  showing  above  the 
place  where  the  joining  paste  once  had  met  the  grease  paint 
with  which  the  fellow's  face  was  coloured,  and  heard  him 
say  as  he  tossed  that  wig  toward  him  and  rose,  "Out  of  your 
own  stage  properties,  Mr.  Trent  —  borrowed  to  be  returned 
like  this." 

"Heaven  above,  man,"  said  Trent  in  utter  bewilderment, 
"what's  the  meaning  of  it  all?  Who  is  that  man,  then,  since 
it's  clear  he's  not  Loti?  " 

"A  very  excellent  actor  in  his  day,  Mr.  Trent;  his  name 
is  James  ColHver,"  repKed  Cleek.  "I  came  to  this  place 
fully  convinced  that  Loti  had  murdered  him;  I  now  know 
that  he  murdered  Loti,  and  that  to  that  crime  he  has  added 
a  yet  more  abominable  one  by  killing  his  own  son! " 

"It's  a  he!  It's  a  lie!  I  didn't!  I  didn't!  I  never  saw 
the  boy!"  screeched  out  ColHver  in  a  very  panic  of  terror. 
"I've  never  killed  any  one.  Loti  sold  out  to  me!  Loti 
went  back  to  France.  I  pawned  the  jewels  to  get  the  money 
to  pay  him  to  go." 

"Oh,  no,  you  didn't,  my  friend,"  said  Cleek.  "You  per- 
formed that  operation  to  shut  Felix  Murchison's  mouth  — 
the  one  man  who  could  swear,  and  did  swear,  that  James 
ColHver  never  left  this  building  on  the  day  of  his  disappear- 
ance, and  who  probably  would  have  said  more  if  you  hadn't 
made  it  worth  his  while  to  shut  his  mouth  and  to  disap- 
pear. You  and  I  know,  my  friend,  that  Loti  was  the  last 
man  on  this  earth  with  whom  you  could  come  to  terms  upon 
anything.  He  had  publicly  declared  that  he  would  have 
your  life,  and  he'd  have  kept  his  word  if  you  hadn't  turned 
the  tables  and  killed  him.  You  stole  his  wife,  and  you  were 
never  even  man  enough  to  marry  her  even  though  she  had 
borne  you  a  son  and  clung  to  you  to  the  end,  poor  wretch !  You 
killed  Loti,  and  you  killed  your  own  son.  No  doubt  he  is 
better  off,  poor  Httle  chap,  to  be  dead  and  gone  rather  than 


314  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

to  live  with  the  shadow  of  illegitimacy  upon  him;  and  no 
doubt,  either,  that  when  he  came  up  here  yesterday  to  meet 
Giuseppe  Loti,  he  saw  what  I  saw  to-day,  and  knew  you  as 
I  knew  you  then  —  the  scar  on  the  wrist,  which  was  one  of 
the  marks  of  identification  given  me  at  the  time  I  was  sent 
to  hunt  you  up !     And  you  killed  him  to  shut  his  mouth." 

"I  didn't!  I  didn't!"  he  protested  wildly.  ''I  never 
saw  him.  He  wasn't  here.  The  women  in  the  house  across 
the  way  will  swear  that  they  saw  the  empty  room." 

*'Not  now!"  declared  Cleek,  with  emphasis.  "I've  con- 
vinced them  to  the  contrary.  Mr.  Trent,  let  a  couple  of 
your  men  come  over  here  and  take  charge  of  this  fellow, 
please,  and  I  will  convince  you  as  well.  That's  right,  my 
lads.  Lay  hold  of  the  beggar  and  don't  let  him  get  a  chance 
to  make  a  dash  for  the  stairs.  Got  him  fast,  have  you? 
Good!  Now  then,  Mr.  James  Colhver,  this  is  what  those 
deluded  women  saw  —  this  Httle  dodge,  which  is  going  to 
help  Jack  Ketch  to  come  into  his  own." 

Speaking,  he  walked  rapidly  across  to  the  long  bhnd,  pulled 
it  down  to  its  full  length,  then  with  a  wrench  tore  it  wholly 
from  the  roller  and  whirled  it  over,  so  that  they  who  were 
within  could  now  see  the  outer  side. 

It  bore,  painted  upon  it,  a  perfect  representation  of  the 
interior  of  the  glass-room,  even  to  the  Httle  spindle-legged 
table  with  a  vase  of  pink  roses  upon  it  which  now  stood  at 
that  room's  far  end. 

*'A  clever  idea,  ColHver,  and  a  good  piece  of  painting," 
he  said.  ''It  took  me  in  once  —  last  August  —  just  as  it 
took  in  Mrs.  Sherman  and  her  daughter  yesterday.  The 
mistiness  of  the  lace  curtains  falHng  over  it  lent  just  the 
effect  of  '  distance '  that  was  required  to  perfect  the  illusion 
and  to  prevent  anybody  from  detecting  the  paint.     As  for 

the  boy Gently,  lads,  gently!     Don't  let  the  beggar 

in  his  struggles  make  you  step  on  that  'dead  soldier.'  Under 
the  thick  coating  of  wax  a  human  body  lies  —  the  boy's ! 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  315 

Hullo!  Gone  off  his  balance,  eh,  at  the  knowledge  that  the 
game  is  entirely  up?"  This  as  CoUiver,  with  a  terrible  cry, 
collapsed  suddenly  and  fell  to  the  floor  shrieking  and  grovel- 
ling. ^'  They  are  a  cowardly  lot  these  brute-beast  men  when 
it  comes  to  the  wall  and  the  final  corner.  Mr.  Trent,  break 
this  to  Miss  Larue  as  gently  as  you  can.  She  has  suffered 
a  great  deal,  poor  girl,  and  it  is  bound  to  be  a  shock.  She 
doesn't  know  that  the  woman  he  called  his  wife  never  really 
was  his  wife;  she  doesn't  know  about  Loti  or  his  threat. 
If  she  had  she'd  have  told  me,  and  I  might  have  got  on  the 
trail  in  the  first  case  instead  of  waiting  to  pick  it  up  like 
this." 

He  paused  and  held  up  his  hand.  Through  all  this  CoUi- 
ver had  not  once  ceased  grovelling  and  screaming;  but  it 
was  not  his  cries  that  had  drawn  that  gesture  from  Cleek. 
It  was  the  sound  of  some  one  racing  at  top  speed  up  the 
outer  stairs,  and  with  it  the  jar  of  many  excited  voices 
mingled  in  a  babble  of  utter  confusion. 

The  door  of  the  glass-room  swung  inward  abruptly,  and 
the  head  bookkeeper  looked  in,  with  a  crowd  of  clerks  be- 
hind him. 

''Mr.  Trent,  sir,  whatever  is  the  matter?  Is  anybody 
hurt?  I  never  heard  such  screams.  The  whole  place  is 
ringing  with  them  and  there's  a  crowd  gathering  about  the 
door." 

Cleek  left  the  junior  partner  to  explain  the  situation, 
stepped  to  the  side  of  the  glass-room,  looked  down,  saw  that 
the  statement  was  quite  true,  and  —  stepped  sharply  back 
again. 

*'We  shall  have  to  defer  removing  our  prisoner  until  it 
gets  dark,  I  fancy,  Mr.  Narkom,"  he  said,  serenely.  ''And 
with  Mr.  Trent's  permission  we  will  make  use  of  the  door 
leading  into  the  alley  at  the  back  when  that  time  comes. 
Bookkeeper!" 

"Yes,  sir?" 


316      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

"You  might  explain  to  the  constable  on  duty  in  the 
neighbourhood  —  if  he  comes  to  inquire,  that  is  —  the  cause 
of  the  disturbance,  and  that  Scotland  Yard  is  in  charge  and 
Superintendent  Narkom  already  on  the  premises.  That's 
all,  thank  you.  You  may  close  the  door  and  take  your 
colleagues  below.  Hullo!  our  prisoner  seems  to  be  subsid- 
ing into  something  akin  to  gibbering  idiocy,  Mr.  Trent. 
Fright  has  turned  his  brain,  apparently.  Let  us  make  use 
of  the  respite  from  his  shrieks.  You  will,  of  course,  wish 
to  hear  how  I  got  on  the  track  of  the  man,  and  what  were 
the  clues  which  led  up  to  the  solving  of  the  affair.  Well, 
you  shall.  Sit  down,  and  while  we  are  waiting  for  the  dark- 
ness to  come  I'll  give  you  the  complete  explanation." 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

COLLIVER,  who  had  now  sunk  into  a  state  of  babbling 
incoherence,  lay  on  his  face  in  the  wreck  of  the  tab- 
leau, rolKng  his  head  from  side  to  side  and  clasping  and 
unclasping  his  manacled  hands. 

Trent  turned  his  back  upon  the  unpleasant  sight  and, 
placing  three  chairs  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  room, 
dropped  into  one  and  lifted  an  eager  countenance  to  Cleek. 

*^Tell  me  first  of  all,"  he  asked,  ''how  under  heaven  you 
came  to  suspect  how  the  disappearance  of  the  boy  was 
managed?  It  seems  like  magic,  to  me.  When  in  the  world 
<?'id  you  get  the  first  clue  to  it,  Mr.  Cleek?" 

''Never  until  I  heard  of  those  two  women  looking  into 
this  room  and  seeing  the  vase  of  pink  roses  standing  on  a 
spindle-legged  table  in  the  centre  of  it,"  he  replied.  "You 
see,  even  in  the  old  days  when  I  had  the  other  case  in  hand 
and  was  searching  for  a  clue  to  Colliver's  disappearance, 
never  had  any  one  mentioned  the  name  of  Loti  to  me.  I 
knew,  of  course,  that  you  made  wax  figures  here,  but  I  never 
heard  until  this  afternoon  that  Loti  was  the  man  who  was 
employed  to  model  them.  I  also  knew  about  the  existence 
of  the  glass-room  and  its  position,  for  I  had  been  at  the 
pains  of  inspecting  it  from  the  outside.  That  came  about 
in  this  way:  Just  before  Miss  Larue  closed  up  the  case  of 
James  Colhver  I  had  obtained  the  first  actual  clue  to  his 
movements  after  he  left  Mr.  Trent,  senior,  and  came  out 
of  the  office. 

"That  clue  came  from  the  door  porter,  FeHx  Murchison. 
What  careful  'pumping'  got  out  of  him  was  that  when  James 

817 


318      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Colliver  left  the  office  he  had  asked  him,  Murchison,  which 
was  the  way  to  the  place  where  they  made  the  waxworks, 
as  he'd  heard  that  they  were  making  a  head  of  Miss  Larue 
to  be  used  in  the  execution  scene  of  Catharine  Howard, 
and  he'd  Kke  to  have  a  look  at  it.  Murchison  said  that  he 
told  him  the  figures  were  made  in  a  glass-room  on  the  top 
of  the  house,  and  directed  him  how  to  reach  it.  He  went 
up  the  stairs,  and  that  was  the  last  that  was  seen  of  him. 

*' Naturally  when  I  heard  that  I  thought  I'd  like  to  see  the 
exterior  of  the  building  to  ascertain  if  there  was  any  open- 
ing, door  or  window,  by  which  he  could  have  left  the  upper 
floor  without  coming  down  the  main  staircase.  That  led 
me  to  beg  permission  of  the  people  in  the  house  across  the 
passage  there  to  look  from  one  of  the  side  windows,  and 
so  gave  me  my  first  view  of  the  glass-room.  What  I  saw 
was  exactly  what  Mrs.  Sherman  and  her  daughter  saw 
yesterday  —  namely,  that  spick  and  span  room  with  the 
table  in  the  centre  and  the  vase  of  pink  roses  standing  on  it. 

''Need  I  go  further  than  to  say  that  when  I  heard  of  those 
women  seeing  a  room  that  was  badly  Kttered  a  few  minutes 
before  suddenly  become  a  tidy  one  with  a  table  and  a  vase 
of  roses  standing  in  the  middle  of  it,  without  anybody  having 
come  into  the  place  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  change,  I 
instantly  remembered  my  own  experience  and  suspected  a 
painted  blind? 

''When  I  entered  this  room  to-day  and  saw  the  peculiar 
position  of  that  blind  I  became  alm.ost  certain  I  had  hit 
upon  the  truth,  and  sent  Mr.  Narkom  to  the  house  across 
the  way  to  test  it.  That's  why  I  pulled  the  blind  down. 
Why  I  stumbled  and  nearly  fell  into  the  tableau  was  because 
I  had  a  faint  suspicion  of  the  horrible  truth  when  I  noticed 
how  abominably  thick  the  neck,  hands,  and  ankles  of  that 
'dead  soldier'  were;  and  I  wanted  to  test  the  truth  or  false- 
ness of  the  'straw  stuffing'  assertion  by  actual  touch,  parti- 
cularly as  I  felt  siure  that  the  presence  of  all  these  strongly 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  319 

scented  flowers  was  for  the  purpose  of  covering  less  agree- 
able odours  should  the  heat  of  the  weather  cause  decom- 
position to  set  in  before  he  could  dispose  of  the  body.  I 
don't  think  he  ever  was  mad  enough  to  intend  letting  the 
thing  remain  a  part  of  the  tableau.  I  fancy  he  would  have 
found  an  excuse  to  get  it  out  somehow  and  to  make  away 
with  it  entirely,  as,  no  doubt,  he  did  with  the  body  of  Loti. 
"What's  that,  Mr.  Narkom?  No,  I  don't  think  that 
Murchison  had  any  actual  hand  in  the  crime  or  really  knev/ 
the  identity  of  the  man.  I  fancy  he  must  have  gone  up  to 
tell  the  fictitious  Loti  that  he  knew  James  Colliver  had 
entered  that  glass-room  and  never  come  out  of  it,  and  Colli- 
ver, of  course,  had  to  shut  his  mouth  by  buying  him  off  and 
sending  him  out  of  the  country.  That  is  why  he  took  yet 
another  disguise  and  pawned  the  jewels.  He  had  to  get 
the  money  some  way.  As  for  the  rest,  I  imagine  that  when 
Colliver  went  up  to  the  room  to  see  that  wax  head,  and 
Loti  caught  sight  of  him,  the  old  Italian  jumped  on  him  like 
a  mad  tiger;  and,  seeing  that  it  was  Loti's  life  or  his  own, 
Colliver  throttled  him.  When  that  was  done,  the  necessity 
for  disposing  of  the  body  arose,  and  the  imposture  was  the 
actual  outcome  of  a  desire  to  save  his  own  neck.  That's 
all,  I  think,  Mr.  Narkom;  so  you  may  revise  your  'notes' 
and  mark  down  the  Colliver  case  as  'solved '  at  last  and  the 
mystery  of  it  cleared  up  after  all." 

Three  hours  of  patient  waiting  had  passed  and  gone. 
The  darkness  had  fallen,  the  streets  were  still,  save  for  the 
faint  hum  of  Hfe  coming  from  districts  afar,  and  the  time 
for  action  had  come  at  last.     Cleek  rose  and  put  on  his  hat. 

''I  think  we  may  safely  venture  to  remove  our  prisoner 
now,  Mr.  Narkom,"  he  said,  ''and  if  you  will  slip  out  the 
back  way  and  get  Lennard  to  bring  the  limousine  around  to 
the  head  of  that  narrow  alley " 

"They're  there  already,  dv^ar  chap.     I  stationed  Lennard 


320      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YAKD 

there  when  I  went  across  to  look  into  that  business  about 
the  painted  bHnd.  It  seemed  the  least  conspicuous  place 
for  him  to  wait." 

''Excellent!  Then,  if  you  will  run  on  ahead  and  have  the 
door  of  it  open  for  me  and  everything  ready  so  that  we  m-ay 
whisk  him  in  and  be  off  Hke  a  shot,  and  Mr.  Trent  will  let 
one  of  these  good  chaps  here  run  down  to  the  man's  room 
and  fetch  him  a  hat,  I'll  attend  to  his  removal." 

"Here's  one  here,  sir,  that'll  do  at  a  pinch  and  save  time," 
suggested  one  of  the  men,  picking  up  a  cavalryman's  hat 
from  the  wreck  of  the  ruined  tableau  and  dusting  it  by  slap- 
ping it  against  his  thigh.  "I  don't  think  he'll  resist  much, 
sir;  he  seems  to  have  gone  clear  off  his  biscuit  and  not  to 
know  enough  for  that;  but  if  you'd  like  me  and  my  mate  to 
lend  a  hand " 

"No,  thanks;  I  shall  be  able  to  manage  him  myself,  I 
fancy,"  said  Cleek,  serenely.  "Get  him  on  liis  feet,  please. 
That's  the  business!  Now  then,  Mr.  Narkom  nip  off;  I'm 
following." 

Mr.  Narkom  "nipped  off"  without  an  instant's  delay,  and 
two  minutes  later  saw  him  slipping  out  through  the  rear 
door  of  the  building  with  Cleek  and  the  jabbering,  unre- 
sisting prisoner  at  the  bottom  of  the  last  flight  of  stairs  not 
twenty  yards  behind. 

But  the  passage  of  the  next  half  minute  saw  something  of 
more  moment  still;  for,  as  Narkom  ran  on  tiptoe  up  the  dim 
alley  to  the  waiting  Kmousine  standing  at  its  western  end, 
and  unlatching  the  vehicle's  door,  swung  it  open  to  be  ready 
for  Cleek,  out  of  the  stillness  there  roared  suddenly  the 
shrill  note  of  a  dog-whistle,  and  all  in  a  moment  there  was 
—  mischief. 

A  crowd  of  quick-moving  Apache  figures  sprang  up  from 
sheltering  doors  and,  scudding  past  him,  headed  full  tilt 
down  the  narrow  alley,  calling  out  as  they  ran  that  piercing 
*'La,  la,  loi!"  which  is  the  war  cry  of  their  kind. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  321 

A  blind  rage  —  all  the  more  maddening  in  that  it  was  im- 
potent, since  he  had  neither  weapon  to  defend  nor  the  power 
to  slay  —  swept  down  upon  the  superintendent  as  he  real- 
ized the  import  of  that  mad  rush,  and,  ducking  down  his 
head,  he  bolted  after  them,  into  the  thick  of  them  —  punch- 
ing, banging,  slogging,  shouting,  swearing  —  an  incarnate 
Passion,  the  Epitome  of  Man's  love  for  Man  —  a  little  fat 
Fury  that  was  all  a  whirl  of  flying  fists  as  it  swept  onward 
and  that  seemed  to  go  absolutely  insane  at  what  he  looked 
up  the  alley  and  saw. 

*'  Get  back,  Cleek!  Get  back,  for  God's  sake ! "  he  yelled, 
in  a  very  panic  of  fear  and  dismay;  then  cleft  his  way  with 
beating  arms  and  kicking  feet  through  the  hampering  crowd, 
arrowed  out  of  its  midst,  and  bore  down  upon  the  cavalry- 
hatted  figure  that  had  stepped  out  of  the  dark  doorway  of 
Trent  &  Son's  building  and  was  standing  flattened  against 
the  rear  wall  of  it. 

He  reached  out  his  hand  and  made  a  blind  clutch  at  it, 
and,  while  he  was  yet  far  out  of  reaching  distance  of  it, 
faced  round  and  made  a  wild  effort  to  cover  it  with  his 
short,  fat  body  and  his  arms  outflung,  like  a  crucifix,  and 
looked  at  the  Apaches  and  swore  without  one  thought  of 
being  profane. 

*' Me,  you  damned  devils!  Me,  me,  not  him !  Not  him, 
damn  you !  damn  you !  damn  you! "  he  cried,  hoarse-throated 
and  —  said  no  more ! 

The  scuttling  crowd  came  up  with  him,  broke  about  him, 
swept  past  him.  A  loud  explosion  sounded;  a  flare  of  light 
broke  full  against  the  cavalry  hat;  a  stifling  odour  of  picric 
acid  filled  the  air  and  gripped  the  throat,  and  with  its  com- 
ing, man  and  hat  slid  down  the  wall  and  dropped  at  its 
foot  a  crumpled  heap  that  never  in  this  world  would  stand 
erect  again. 

''Killed!  Killed!"  half -cried,  half -groaned  the  superin- 
tendent, staggering  a  bit  as  the  crowd  flew  on  up  the  alley 


Sn  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

and  vanished  around  the  corner  of  the  street  into  which  it 
merged.  ''Oh,  my  God!  After  all  my  care;  after  all  my 
love  for  him!  Killed  Hke  a  dog.  Oh,  Cleek!  Oh,  Cleek! 
The  dearest  friend  —  the  finest  pal  —  the  greatest  detective 
genius  of  the  age!"  And  then,  swinging  his  arm  up  and 
across  his  eyes  and  holding  it  there,  made  a  queer  choking 
sound  behind  the  sheltering  crook  of  it. 

But  of  a  sudden  a  voice  spoke  up  from  the  darkness  of  the 
open  door  near  by  and  said  quietly : 

''That's  the  finest  compliment  I  ever  had  paid  me  in  all 
my  life,  Mr.  Narkom.  Don't  worry  over  me,  dear  friend; 
I'm  still  able  to  sit  up  and  take  nourishment.  The  Apaches 
have  saved  the  public  executioner  a  morning's  work.  Col- 
liver  has  parted  with  his  brains  forever;  and  may  God  have 
mercy  on  his  soul!" 

"Cleek!"  Mr.  Narkom  scarcely  knew  his  own  voice,  such 
a  screaming  thing  it  was.     "  Cleek,  dear  chap,  is  it  you?  " 

"To  be  sure.  Come  inside  here  if  you  doubt  it.  Come 
quickly;  there's  a  crowd  of  quite  a  different  sort  coming: 
the  report  of  that  bomb  has  aroused  the  neighbourhood; 
and  I  have  quite  enough  of  crowds  for  one  evening,  thank 
you." 

Narkom  was  inside  the  building  before  you  could  have 
said  Jack  Robinson,  "pump-handling"  Cleek  with  all  his 
might  and  generally  deporting  himself  like  a  man  gone  daft. 

"I  thought  they'd  finished  you!  I  thought  they'd  'done 
you  in.'  It  was  the  Apache,  you  know  —  and  that  infernal 
scoundrel  Waldemar:  he  must  have  found  out  som^ehow," 
he  said  excitedly.  "But  we've  got  it  on  him  at  last,  Cleek: 
he's  come  within  the  law's  reach  after  all." 

"To  be  sure;  but  I  doubt  if  the  law  will  be  able  to  find 
him,  Mr.  Narkom.  He  will  have  left  the  country  before 
the  trap  was  actually  sprung,  believe  me;  or  failing  that, 
"vdll  be  well  on  his  way  out  of  it." 

"But  perhaps  not  absolutely  out  of  it,  dear  chap.    There, 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  32S 

are  the  ports,  you  know;  and  so  long  as  he  is  on  English  soil 

Come  and  see !     Come  and  see !     We  may  be  able  to 

head  him  off.  Let's  get  out  by  way  of  the  front  of  the 
building,  Cleek,  and  if  I  can  once  get  to  the  telegraph  and 

wire  to  the  coast  —  and  he  hasn't  yet  sailed Come  on ! 

come  on!  Or  no:  wait  a  moment.  That's  a  constable  out 
there,  asking  for  information.  I'll  nip  out  and  let  him 
know  that  the  Yard's  on  the  case  and  give  him  a  few  orders 
about  reporting  it.  Wait  for  me  at  the  front  door,  old  chap. 
With  you  in  a  winking." 

He  stepped  out  into  the  alley  as  he  spoke  and  mingled 
with  the  gathering  crowd. 

But  Cleek  did  not  stir.  The  alley  was  no  longer  dark 
for,  with  the  gathering  of  the  crowd,  lights  had  come  and  he 
stood  for  many  minutes  staring  into  it  and  breathing  hard 
and  the  colour  draining  slowly  out  of  his  face  until  it  was 
like  a  thing  of  wax. 

Outside  in  the  narrow  alley  the  gathering  of  curious  ones 
which  the  sound  of  the  explosion  and  the  sight  of  a  running 
policeman  had  drawn  to  the  place  was  every  moment  thick- 
ening, and  with  the  latest  addition  to  it  there  had  come 
hurrying  into  the  narrow  space  a  morbid-minded  newsboy 
with  the  customary  bulletin  sheet  pinned  over  his  chest. 

*'The  Evening  News!  Six  o'clock  edition!"  that  bulletin 
was  headed,  and  under  that  heading  there  was  set  forth  in 
big  black  type : 

END  OF  THE  MAURAVANIAN  REVOLUTION 

FALL  OF  THE  CAPITAL 

FLIGHT  OF  THE  DEPOSED  KING 

OVERWHELMING  SUCCESS  OF  IRMA'S  TROOPS. 

"Mr.  Narkom,"  said  Cleek,  when  at  the  end  of  ten 
minutes  the  superintendent  came  bustling  back,  hot  and 
eager  to  begin  the  effort  to  head  off  Count  Waldemar.    "Mr. 


SU  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Narkom,  dear  friend,  the  days  of  trouble  and  distress  are 
over  and  the  good  old  times  you  have  so  often  sighed  for 
have  come  back.  Look  at  that  newsboy's  bulletin.  Walde- 
mar  is  too  late  in  all  things  and  —  we  have  seen  the  last  of 
him  forever." 


EPILOGUE 

THE  AFFAIR   OF  THE  MAN  WHO  WAS  FOUND 

MR.  MAVERICK  NARKOM  glanced  up  at  the  calendar 
hanging  on  the  office  wall,  saw  that  it  recorded  the 
date  as  August  i8th,  and  then  glanced  back  to  the  sheet 
of  memoranda  lying  on  his  desk,  and  forthwith  began  to 
scratch  his  bald  spot  perplexedly. 

''I  wonder  if  I  dare  do  it?  "  he  queried  of  himself  in  the  un- 
spoken words  of  thought.  ''It  seems  such  a  pity  when  the 
beggar's  wedding  day  is  so  blessed  near  —  and  a  man  wants 
his  last  week  of  single  blessedness  all  to  himself,  by  James  — 
if  he  can  get  it!  Still,  it's  a  case  after  his  own  heart;  the 
reward's  big  and  would  be  a  nice  little  nest  egg  to  begin 
married  life  upon.  Besides,  he's  had  a  fairly  good  rest  as 
it  is,  when  I  come  to  think  of  it.  Nothing  much  to  do  since 
the  time  when  that  Mauravanian  business  came  to  an  end. 
I  fancy  he  rather  looked  to  have  something  come  out  of  that 
in  the  beginning  from  the  frequent  inquiries  he  made  re- 
garding what  that  Johnnie  Count  Irma  and  the  new  Parlia- 
ment were  doing;  but  it  never  did.     And  now,  after  all  that 

rest  —  and  this  a  case  of  so  much  importance  ■ Gad!  I 

believe  I'll  risk  it.  He  can't  do  any  more  then  decline. 
Yes,  by  James!  I  will." 

His  indecision  once  conquered,  he  took  the  plunge  in- 
stantly; caught  up  the  desk  telephone,  called  for  a  number, 
and  two  minutes  later  was  talking  to  Cleek,  thus : 

''I  say,  old  chap,  don't  snap  my  head  off  for  suggesting 
such  a  thing  at  such  a  time,  but  I've  a  most  extraordinary 

325 


326  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

case  on  hand  and  I  hope  to  heaven  that  you  will  help  me  out 
with  it.  What's  that?  Oh,  come,  now,  that's  ripping  of 
you,  old  chap,  and  I'm  as  pleased  as  Punch.  What?  Oh, 
get  along  with  you !  No  more  than  you'd  do  for  me  under 
the  same  circumstances,  I'll  be  sworn.  Yes,  to-day  —  as 
early  as  possible.  Right  you  are.  Then  could  you  man- 
age to  meet  me  in  the  bar  parlour  of  a  little  inn  called  the 
French  Horn,  out  Shere  way,  in  Surrey,  about  four  o'clock? 
Could,  eh?  Good  man!  Oh,  by  the  way,  come  prepared 
to  meet  a  lady  of  title,  old  chap  —  she's  the  cHent.  Thanks 
very  much .     Good-bye . ' ' 

Then  he  hung  up  the  receiver,  rang  for  Lennard,  and  set 
about  preparing  for  the  journey  forthwith. 

And  this,  if  you  please,  was  how  it  came  to  pass  that  when 
Mr.  Maverick  Narkom  turned  up  at  the  French  Horn  that 
afternoon  he  found  a  saddle  horse  tethered  to  a  post  outside, 
and  Cleek,  looking  very  much  like  one  of  the  regular  habitues 
of  Rotten  Row  who  had  taken  it  into  his  mind  to  canter  out 
into  the  country  for  a  change,  standing  in  the  bar  parlour 
window  and  looking  out  with  appreciative  eyes  upon  the 
broad  stretch  of  green  downs  that  billowed  away  to  meet 
the  distant  hills. 

^'My  dear  chap,  how  on  earth  do  you  manage  it?"  said 
the  superintendent,  eying  him  with  open  approval,  not  to 
say  admiration.  '^I  don't  mean  the  mere  putting  on  the 
clothes  and  looking  the  part  —  I've  seen  dozens  in  my  time 
who  could  do  that  right  enough,  but  the  beggars  always  ^  fell 
down'  when  it  came  to  the  acting  and  the  talking,  while  you 
—  I  don't  loiow  what  the  dickens  it  is  nor  how  you  manage 
to  get  it,  but  there's  a  certain  something  or  other  in  your 
bearing,  your  manner,  your  look,  when  you  tackle  this  sort 
of  thing  that  I  always  believed  a  man  had  to  be  born  to  and 
couldn't  possibly  acquire  in  any  other  way." 

"There  you  are  wrong,  my  dear  friend.  It  is  possible,  as 
you  see.    That  is  what  makes  the  difference  between  the 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  327 

mere  actor  and  the  real  artiste,''^  replied  Cleek,  with  an  air  of 
conceited  self-appreciation  which  was  either  a  clever  illusion 
or  an  exhibition  of  great  weakness.  "If  one  man  might 
not  do  these  things  better  than  another  man,  we  should 
have  no  Irvings  to  illuminate  the  stage,  and  acting  would 
drop  at  once  from  its  place  among  the  arts  to  the  undignified 
level  of  a  tawdry  trade.  And  now,  as  our  American  cousins 
say,  'Let's  come  down  to  brass  tacks.'  What's  the  case 
and  who's  the  lady?" 

''The  widow  of  the  late  Sir  George  Essington,  and  grand- 
mother of  the  young  gentleman  in  whose  interest  you  are  to 
be  consulted." 

"  Grandmother,  eh?     Then  the  lady  is  no  longer  young?" 

"Not  as  years  go,  although,  to  look  at  her,  you  would 
hardly  suspect  that  she  is  a  day  over  five-and-thirty.  The 
Gentleman  with  the  Hour  Glass  has  dealt  very,  very  Hghtly 
with  her.  Where  he  has  failed  to  be  considerate,  however, 
the  ladies,  v/ho  conduct  certain  'parlours'  in  Bond  Street, 
have  come  to  the  rescue  in  fine  style." 

"Oh,  she  is  that  kind  of  woman,  is  she?"  said  Cleek  wdth 
a  pitch  of  the  shoulders.  "I  have  no  patience  with  the 
breed!  As  if  there  was  anything  more  charming  than  a 
dear,  wrinkly  old  grandmother  who  bears  her  years  grace- 
fully and  fusses  over  her  children's  children  like  an  old  hen 
with  a  brood  of  downy  chicks.  But  a  grandmother  who  goes 
in  for  wrinkle  eradicators,  cream  of  lilies,  skin- tighten- 
ers, milk  of  roses,  and  things  of  that  kind  —  faugh !  It  has 
been  my  experience,  Mr.  Narkom,  that  when  a  woman 
^as  any  real  cause  for  worrying  over  the  condition  of  her 
face,  she  usually  has  a  just  one  to  be  anxious  over  that 
of  her  soul.  So  this  old  lady  is  one  of  the  'face  painters,' 
is  she?" 

"My  dear  chap,  let  me  correct  an  error:  a  grandmother 
her  ladyship  may  be,  but  she  is  decidedly  not  an  old  one.  I 
believe  she  was  only  a  mere  girl  when  she  married  her  late 


328  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

husband.  At  any  rate,  she  certainly  can't  be  a  day  over 
forty-five  at  the  present  moment.  A  frivolous  and  a  reck- 
lessly extravagant  woman  she  undoubtedly  is  —  indeed,  her 
extravagances  helped  as  much  as  anything  to  bring  her 
husband  into  the  bankruptcy  court  before  he  died  —  but 
beyond  that  I  don't  think  there's  anything  particularly 
wrong  with  her  'soul.'  " 

"Possibly  not.  There's  always  an  exception  to  every 
rule,"  said  Cleek.  ''Her  ladyship  may  be  the  shining  ex- 
ception to  this  unpleasant  one  of  the  'face  painters.'  Let 
us  hope  so.     Enghsh,  is  she?  '^ 

''Oh,  yes  —  that  is,  her  father  was  English  and  she  her- 
self was  born  in  Buckinghamshire.  Her  mother,  however, 
was  an  Itahan,  a  hneal  descendant  of  a  once  great  and  power- 
ful Roman  family  named  di  Catanei." 

"Which,"  supplemented  Cleek,  with  one  of  his  curious 
one-sided  smiles,  "through  an  ante-papal  union  between 
Pope  Alexander  VI  and  the  beautiful  Giovanna  de  Catanei 
—  otherwise  Vanozza  —  gave  to  the  world  those  two  arch- 
poisoners  and  devils  of  iniquity,  Csesar  and  Lucretia  Bor- 
gia. Lady  Essington's  family  tree  supphes  a  mixture  which 
is  certainly  imique:  a  fine,  fruity  English  pie  mth  a  rotten 
apple  in  it.  Hum-m-m!  if  her  ladyship  has  inherited  any 
of  the  beauty  of  her  famous  ancestress  —  for  in  1490,  when 
she  flourished,  Giovanna  de  Catanei  was  said  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  woman  in  the  world  —  she  should  be  something 
good  to  look  upon." 

"She  is,"  rephed  Narkom.  "You'll  find  her,  when  she 
comes,  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  charming  women 
you  ever  met." 

"Ah,  then  she  has  inherited  some  of  the  attractions  and 
accomplishments  of  her  famous  forbears.  I  wonder  if  there 
has  also  come  down  to  her,  as  well,  the  formula  of  those  re- 
markable secret  poisons  for  which  Lucretia  Borgia  and  her 
brother  Caesar  were  so  widely  famed.      They  were  marvel- 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  329 

lous  things,  those  Borgia  decoctions  —  marvellous  and  ab- 
ominable." 

^'Horrible!"  agreed  Narkom,  a  curious  shadow  of  unrest 
coming  over  him  at  this  subject  rising  at  this  particular 
time. 

''Modern  chemistry  has,  I  believe,  been  quite  unable  to 
duplicate  them.  There  is,  for  instance,  that  appalling  thing 
the  aqua  tofana,  the  very  fumes  of  which  caused  instant 
death." 

*'Aqua  tofana  was  not  a  Bornean  poison,  my  friend," 
said  Cleek,  with  a  smile.  ''It  was  discovered  more  than 
two  hundred  years  after  their  time  —  in  1668,  to  be  exact  — 
by  one  Jean  Baptiste  de  Gaudin,  Signeur  de  St.  Croix,  the 
paramour  and  accomplice  of  that  unnatural  French  fiend, 
Marie  Marquise  de  BrinviUiers.  Its  discoverer  himself  died 
through  dropping  the  glass  mask  from  his  face  and  inhaling 
the  fumes  while  he  was  preparing  the  hellish  mixture.  The 
secret  of  its  manufacture  did  not,  however,  die  with  him. 
Many  chemists  can,  to-day,  reproduce  it.  Indeed,  I,  my- 
self, could  give  you  the  formula  were  it  required." 

^^You?  Gad,  man!  what  don't  you  know?  In  heaven's 
name,  Cleek,  what  caused  you  to  dip  into  all  these  unholy 
things?" 

"The  same  impulse  which  causes  a  drowning  man  to  grip 
at  a  straw,  Mr.  Narkom  —  the  desire  for  self-preservation. 
Remember  what  I  was  in  those  other  days,  and  with  whom  I 
associated.  Believe  me,  the  statement  that  there  is  honour 
among  thieves  is  a  pleasant  fiction  and  nothing  more;  for 
once  a  man  sets  out  to  be  a  professional  thief,  he  and  honour 
are  no  longer  on  speaking  terms.  I  never  could  be  wholly 
sure,  with  that  lot;  and  my  biggest  coups  were  always  a 
source  of  danger  to  me  after  they  had  been  successfully  com- 
pleted. It  became  necessary  for  me  to  study  all  poisons, 
all  secret  arts  of  destruction,  that  I  might  guard  against 
them  and  might  know  the  proper  antidote.     As  for  the  rest 


330  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

■ — Sh!    Mumm's  a  fine  wine.     Here  comes  the  landlad)' 
with  the  tea.     We'll  drop  the  'case'  until  afterward." 

"Now  tell  me,"  said  Cleek,  after  the  landlady  had  gone 
and  they  were  again  in  sole  possession  of  the  room,  ''what 
is  it  this  Lady  Essington  wants  of  me?  And  what  sort  of 
a  chap  is  this  grandson  in  whose  interest  she  is  acting?  Is 
he  with  her  in  this  appeal  to  the  Yard?  " 

"Certainly  not,  my  dear  fellow.  Why,  he's  little  more 
than  a  baby  —  not  over  three  at  the  most.  Ever  hear  any- 
body speak  of  the  '  Golden  Boy,'  old  chap?  " 

"What !  The  baby  Earl  of  Strathmere?  The  Httle  chap 
who  inherited  a  title  and  a  million  through  the  drowning  of 
his  parents  in  the  wreck  of  the  yacht  Mystery?  " 

"That's  the  little  gentleman:  the  Right  Honourable  Ce- 
dric  Eustace  George  Carruthers,  twenty-seventh  Earl 
Strathmere,  variously  known  as  the  'Millionaire  Baby'  and 
the  'Golden  Boy.'  His  mother  was  Lady  Essington's  only 
daughter.  She  was  only  eighteen  when  she  married  Strath- 
mere: only  twenty- two  when  she  and  her  husband  were 
drowned,  a  little  over  a  year  ago." 

"Early  enough  to  go  out  of  the  world,  that  —  poor  girl!" 
said  Cleek,  sympathetically.  "And  to  leave  that  little 
shaver  all  alone  —  robbed  at  one  blow  of  both  father  and 
mother.  Hard  lines,  my  friend,  hard  Hnes!  It  is  fair  to 
suppose,  is  it  not,  that,  with  the  death  of  his  parents,  the 
care  and  guidance  of  his  little  lordship  fell  to  the  lot  of  his 
grandmother,  Lady  Essington?" 

"No,  it  did  not,"  rephed  Narkom.  "One  might  have 
supposed  that  it  would,  seeing  that  there  was  no  paternal 
grandmother,  but  —  well,  the  fact  of  the  matter  is,  Cleek, 
that  the  late  Lord  Strathmere  did  not  altogether  approve 
of  his  mother-in-law's  method  of  living  (he  was  essentially 
a  quiet,  home-loving  man  and  had  Httle  patience  with  fri- 
volity of  any  sort),  and  it  occasioned  no  surprise  among 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      331 

those  who  knew  him  when  it  was  discovered  that  he  had 
made  a  will  leaving  everything  he  possessed  to  his  little  son 
and  expressly  stipulating  that  the  care  and  upbringing  of 
the  boy  were  to  be  entrusted  to  his  younger  brother,  the 
Honourable  Felix  Camour  Paul  Carruthers,  who  was  to 
enjoy  the  revenue  from  the  estate  until  the  child  attained 
his  majority." 

^'I  see!  I  see!"  said  Cleek,  appreciatively.  "Then  that 
did  her  extravagant  ladyship  out  of  a  pretty  large  and  steady 
income  for  a  matter  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  years.  Hum- 
m-m !  Wise  man  —  always,  of  course,  provided  that  he 
didn't  save  the  boy  from  the  frying-pan  only  to  drop  him 
into  the  fire.  What  kind  of  a  man  is  this  brother  —  this 
Honourable  Felix  Carruthers  —  into  whose  hands  he  en- 
trusted the  future  of  his  little  son?  I  seem  to  have  a  hazy 
recollection  of  hearing  that  name,  somewhere  or  somehow, 
in  connection  with  some  other  affair.  Wise  choice,  was  it, 
Mr.  Narkom?" 

"  Couldn't  have  been  better,  to  my  thinking.  I  know  the 
Honourable  Felix  quite  well:  a  steady-going,  upright,  hon- 
ourable young  fellow  (he  isn't  over  two  or  three-and- thirty) , 
who,  being  a  second  son,  naturally  inherited  his  mother's 
fortune,  and  that  being  considerable,  he  really  did  not  need 
the  income  from  his  little  nephew's  in  the  sUghtest  degree. 
However,  he  undertook  the  charge  willingly,  for  he  is  much 
attached  to  the  boy;  and  he  and  his  wife  —  to  whom  he  was 
but  recently  married,  by  the  way  —  entered  into  residence 
at  his  late  brother's  splendid  property,  Boskydell  Priory, 
just  over  on  the  other  side  of  those  hills  —  you  can  see  from 
the  window,  there  —  where  they  are  at  present  entertaining 
a  large  house  party,  among  whom  are  Lady  Essington  and 
her  son  Claude." 

"Oho!  Then  her  ladyship  has  a  son,  has  she?  The 
daughter  who  died  was  not  her  only  child?  " 

"No.    The  son  was  born  about  a  year  after  the  daughter. 


S32      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

A  nice  lad  —  bright,  clever,  engaging;  fond  of  all  sorts  of 
dumb  animals  —  birds,  monkeys,  white  mice  —  all  manner 
of  such  things  —  and  as  tender-hearted  as  a  girl.  Wouldn't 
hurt  a  fly.  Carruthers  is  immensely  fond  of  him  and  has 
him  at  the  Priory  whenever  he  can.  That,  of  course,  means 
having  the  mother,  too,  which  is  a  bit  of  a  trial,  in  a  way, 
for  I  don't  beHeve  that  her  ladyship  and  Mrs.  Carruthers 
care  very  much  for  each  other.  But  that's  another  story. 
Now,  then,  let's  see  —  where  was  I?  Oh,  ah!  about  the 
house  party  at  the  Priory  and  Carruthers'  fondness  for  the 
boy.  You  can  judge  of  my  surprise,  my  dear  Cleek,  when 
last  night's  post  brought  me  a  private  letter  from  Lady  Es- 
sington  asking  me  to  meet  her  here  at  this  inn  —  which,  by 
the  way,  belongs  to  the  Strathmere  estate  and  is  run  by  a 
former  servant  at  the  Priory  —  and  stating  that  she  wished 
me  to  bring  one  of  the  shrewdest  and  cleverest  of 
my  detectives,  as  she  was  quite  convinced  there  was  an 
underhand  scheme  afoot  to  injure  his  httle  lordship  —  in 
short,  she  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  somebody  was 
secretly  attacking  the  life  of  the  Golden  Boy.  She  then 
went  on  to  give  me  details  of  a  most  extraordinary  and 
bewildering  nature." 

'^  Indeed?  What  were  those  details,  Mr.  Narkom?" 
^'Let  her  tell  you  for  herself  —  here  she  is!"  rephed  the 
superintendent,  as  a  veiled  and  cloaked  figure  moved  hur- 
riedly past  the  window;  and  he  and  Cleek  had  barely  more 
than  pushed  back  their  chairs  and  risen  when  that  figure 
entered  the  room. 

A  sweep  of  her  hand  carried  back  her  veil;  and  Cleek, 
looking  round,  saw  what  he  considered  one  of  the  hand- 
somest women  he  had  ever  beheld:  a  good  woman,  too,  for 
all  her  frivolous  Kfe  and  her  dark  ancestry,  if  clear,  straight- 
looking  eyes  could  be  taken  as  a  proof,  which  he  knew  that 
they  could  not;  for  he  had  seen  men  and  w^omen  in  his  day, 
as  crafty  as  the  fox  and  as  dangerous  as  the  serpent,  who 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      333 

could  look  you  straight  in  the  eyes  and  never  flinch;  while 
others  —  as  true  as  steel  and  as  clean-lifed  as  saints  — 
would  send  shifting  glances  flicking  all  round  the  room  and 
could  no  more  fix  those  glances  on  the  face  of  the  person 
to  whom  they  were  talking  than  they  could  take  unto  them- 
selves wings  and  fly. 

But  good  or  ill,  whichever  the  future  might  prove  this 
lovely  lady  to  be,  one  thing  about  her  was  certain:  she  was 
violently  agitated,  and  nervousness  was  making  her  shake 
perceptibly  and  breathe  hard,  like  a  spent  runner. 

"It  is  good  of  you  to  come,  Mr.  Narkom,"  she  said,  mov- 
ing forward  with  a  grace  which  no  amount  of  excitement 
could  dispel  or  diminish  —  the  innate  grace  of  the  woman 
horn  to  her  station  and  schooled  by  Mother  Nature's  guid- 
ing hand.  "I  had  hoped  that  I  might  steal  away  and  come 
here  to  meet  you  unsuspected.  But,  secretly  as  I  wrote, 
carefully  as  I  planned  this  thing,  I  have  every  reason  to 
believe  that  my  efforts  are  suspected  and  that  I  have,  in- 
deed, been  followed.  So,  then,  this  interview  must  be  a 
very  hurried  one,  and  you  must  not  be  surprised  if  it  be- 
comes necessary  for  me  to  run  off  without  a  moment's  no- 
tice; for  believe  me,  I  am  quite,  quite  sure  that  the  Hon- 
ourable Mr.  Felix  Carruthers  is  already  following  me." 

"The  Honourable  —  my  dear  Lady  Essington,  you  don't 

mean  to  suggest  that  he  —  he  of  all  men God  bless 

my  soul!" 

"Oh,  it  may  well  amaze  you,  Mr.  Narkom.  It  well-nigh 
stupefied  me  when  I  first  began  to  suspect.  Indeed,  I  can't 
do  any  more  than  suspect  even  yet.  Perhaps  it  is  he,  per- 
haps that  abominable  woman  he  has  married.  You  must 
decide  that  when  you  have  heard.  I  perceive"  —  glancing 
over  at  Cleek  —  "you  have  been  unable  to  bring  a  detective 
poKce  officer  to  Hsten  to  what  I  have  to  say,  but  if  you  and 
your  friend  will  Hsten  carefully  and  convey  the  story  to  one 
in  due  course " 


S34  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

*' Pardon,  your  ladyship,  but  my  companion  is  a  detective 
officer,"  interposed  Narkom.  "So  if  you  will  state  the  case 
at  once  he  will  be  able  to  advise." 

''A  detective?  You?"  She  flashed  round  on  Cleek  and 
looked  at  him  in  amazement,  her  lower  lip  indrawn,  a  look 
almost  of  horror  in  her  eyes.  One  may  not  tell  a  lion  that 
another  lion  is  a  jackass,  though  he  masquerade  in  the  skin 
of  one.  Birth  spoke  to  Birth.  She  saw,  she  knew,  she 
understood.  "By  what  process  could  such  as  you  —  "  she 
began;  then  stopped  and  made  a  slight  inchnation  of  the 
head.  "Pardon,"  she  continued;  "that  was  rude.  Your 
private  affairs  are  of  course  your  own,  Mr.  —  er " 

"Headland,  your  ladyship,"  supphed  Cleek.  "My  name 
is  George  Headland!"  And  Narkom  knew  from  that  that 
for  all  her  grace  and  charm  he  neither  liked  nor  trusted  her 
soft-eyed  ladyship. 

"Thank  you,"  said  Lady  Essington,  accepting  this  self- 
introduction  with  a  graceful  inclination  of  the  head.  "No 
doubt  Mr.  Narkom  has  given  you  some  idea  of  my  reason 
for  consulting  you,  Mr.  Headland;  but  as  time  is  very  short 
let  me  give  you  the  further  details  as  briefly  as  possible.  I 
am  convinced  beyond  any  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  some 
one  who  has  an  interest  in  his  death  is  secretly  attacking 
the  Hfe  of  my  little  grandson;  and  I  have  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  ^some  one'  is  either  the  Honourable  Felix 
Carruthers  or  his  wife." 

"But  to  what  purpose,  your  ladyship?  People  do  not 
commit  so  desperate  an  act  as  murder  without  some  power- 
ful motive,  either  of  gain  or  revenge,  behind  it,  and  from 
what  I  have  heard,  neither  the  uncle  nor  the  aunt  can  have 
anything  to  win  by  injuring  his  Httle  lordship." 

"Can  they  not?"  she  answered,  with  a  despairing  gesture. 
"How  httle  you  know!  Mrs.  Carruthers  is  an  ambitious 
woman,  Mr.  Headland,  and,  like  all  women  of  the  class  from 
which  she  was  recruited,  she  aspires  to  a  title.    She  was 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  335 

formerly  an  actress.  The  Honourable  Felix  married  and 
took  her  from  the  theatre.  It  is  abominable  that  a  person 
of  that  type  should  be  foisted  upon  society  and  brought  into 
contact  with  her  betters." 

"Oho!  that's  where  the  shoe  pinches,  is  it?"  thought 
Cleek;  but  aloud  he  merely  said:  ''The  day  has  long 
passed,  your  ladyship,  when  the  followers  of  Thespis  have  to 
apologize  for  their  existence.  There  are  many  ladies  of  the 
stage  in  these  times  whose  Uves  are  exemplary  and  whose 
names  call  forth  nothing  but  respect  and  admiration;  and  so 
long  as  this  particular  lady  bore  an  unblemished  reputation 
• Did  she?" 

*'0h,  yes.  There  was  never  a  word  against  her  in  that 
respect.  Felix  would  never  have  married  her  if  there  had 
been.  But  I  beheve  in  persons  of  that  class  remaining  in 
their  own  circle,  and  not  intruding  themselves  into  others 
to  which  they  were  not  horn.  She  is  an  ambitious  woman, 
as  I  have  told  you.  She  aspires  to  a  title  as  well  as  to  riches, 
and  if  little  Lord  Strathmere  should  die,  her  husband  would 
inherit  both.  Surely  that  is  'motive'  enough  for  a  woman 
of  that  type.     As  for  her  husband " 

"There,  I  am  afraid,  your  suspicion  confounds  itself,  your 
ladyship,"  interrupted  Cleek.  "I  am  told  that  the  Hon- 
ourable Mr.  Carruthers  is  extremely  fond  of  the  boy;  besides 
which,  being  rich  in  his  own  right,  he  has  no  reason  to  covet 
the  riches  of  his  brother's  baby  son." 

"Pardon  me:  ^was  rich'  is  the  proper  expression,  not  'is,' 
Mr.  Headland.  The  failure,  a  fortnight  or  so  ago,  of  the 
West  Coast  Diamond  Mining  Company,  in  which  the 
greater  part  of  his  fortune  was  invested  and  of  which  he  was 
the  chairman,  has  sadly  crippled  his  resources,  and  he  has 
now  nothing  but  the  income  from  his  nephew's  estate  to 
live  upon." 

"Hum-m-m!  Ah!  Just  so!"  said  Cleek,  pinching  his 
chin.     "Now  I  recollect  what  made  the  name  seem  famihar, 


336  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Mr.  Narkom.  I  remember  reading  of  the  failure,  and  of 
the  small  hope  that  was  held  out  of  anything  being  saved 
from  the  wreckage.  Still,  the  income  from  the  Strathmere 
estate  is  enormous;  and  by  dint  of  care,  in  the  seventeen  or 
eighteen  years  which  must  elapse  before  his  little  lordship 
comes  of  age " 

"He  will  never  come  of  age!  He  will  be  killed  first  —  he 
is  being  killed  now!"  interposed  Lady  Essington,  agitatedly. 
**0h,  Mr.  Headland,  help  me!  I  love  the  boy  —  he  is  my 
own  child's  child.     I  love  him  as  I  never  loved  anything  else 

in  all  the  world;  and  if  he  were  to  die Dear  God  1  v/hat 

should  I  do  ?  And  he  is  dying:  I  tell  you  he  is.  And  they 
won't  let  me  go  near  him:  they  won't  let  me  have  him  all  to 
myself,  these  two !  If  his  cries  in  the  night  wring  my  heart 
and  I  run  to  his  nursery,  one  or  the  other  of  them  is  always 
there,  and  never  for  one  moment  will  they  let  me  hold  him 
in  my  arms  nor  be  with  him  alone." 

''Hum-m-m!  Cries  out  in  the  night,  does  he,  your  lady- 
ship?    What  kind  of  cries?     Those  of  fright  or  of  pain?  " 

"Of  pain  —  of  excruciating  pain:  it  would  wring  the  heart 
of  a  stone  to  hear  him,  and,  though  there  is  never  a  spot  of 
blood  nor  a  sign  of  violence,  he  declares  that  some  one  comes 
in  the  night  and  sticks  something  into  his  neck  —  something 
which,  in  his  baby  way,  he  likens  to  'a  long,  long  needle  that 
goes  yite  froo  my  neck  and  sets  uvver  needles  prickin'  and 
prickin'  all  down  my  arm.' " 

"Hello!  what's  that?  Let's  have  that  again, please!" 
rapped  out  Cleek,  before  he  thought;  then  recollected  him- 
self and  added  apologetically ,  "I  beg  your  ladyship's  pardon, 
but  I  am  apt  to  get  a  little  excited  at  times.  Something 
like  a  needle  being  run  into  his  neck,  eh?  And  other  needles 
continuing  the  sensation  down  the  arm?  Hum-m-m!  Had 
a  doctor  called  in?  " 

"No.  I  wished  to,  but  neither  the  uncle  nor  aunt  would 
let  me  do  so.    They  say  it  is  nothing — a  mere  ^growing  pain' 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  337 

which  he  will  overcome  in  time.  But  it  is  not  —  I  know  it 
is  not !  If  it  were  natural,  why  did  it  never  manifest  itself 
before  the  failure  of  that  wretched  diamond  company? 
Why  did  it  wait  to  begin  until  after  the  Honourable  FeKx 
Carruthers  had  lost  his  money?  And  why  is  it  going  on, 
night  after  night,  ever  since?  Why  has  he  begun  to  fail  in 
health?  —  to  change  from  a  happy,  laughing,  healthy  child 
into  a  peevish,  fretful,  constantly  complaining  one?  I  tell 
3-0U  they  are  kilHng  him,  those  two;  I  tell  you  they  are  using 
some  secret  diaboHcal  thing  which  is  sapping  liis  very  life; 
and  if " 

She  stopped  and  sucked  her  breath  in  with  a  little  gasp  of 
fright,  and,  whisking  down  her  veil,  turned  and  made  hur- 
riedly for  the  door. 

"I  told  you  he  guessed;  I  told  you  I  should  be  followed !'' 
she  said  in  a  shaking  voice.  "He  is  coming  —  that  man: 
along  the  road  there !  look  through  the  window  and  you  will 
see.  Oh,  come  to  my  assistance,  Mr.  Headland!  Find 
some  way  to  do  it,  for  God's  sake !     Good-bye !  '^ 

Then  the  door  opened  and  shut  and  she  was  gone,  darting 
out  from  the  rear  of  the  inn  into  the  shelter  of  the  scattered 
clumps  of  furze  bushes  and  the  thick  growth  of  bracken 
which  covered  the  downs,  and  running  hke  a  hare  pursued. 

*' Well,  what  do  you  make  of  it,  old  chap?  "  asked  Narkom 
anxiously,  turning  to  Cleek  after  ascertaining  past  all  doubt 
that  the  Honourable  FeHx  Carruthers  was  riding  up  the  road 
toward  the  French  Horn. 

"Oh,  a  crime  beyond  doubt,"  he  repKed.  "But  whose  I 
am  in  no  position  to  determine  at  present.  A  hundred 
things  might  produce  that  stabbing  sensation  in  the  neck, 
from  the  prick  of  a  pin-point  dipped  in  curare  to  a  smear  of 
the  'Pope's  balm,'  that  hellish  ointment  of  the  Borgias. 
Hum-m-m!  And  so  that's  the  Honourable  FeHx  Car- 
ruthers, is  it?  Keep  back  from  the  window,  my  friend. 
When  you  are  out  gunning  for  birds,  it  never  does  to  raise 


S38  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

an  alarm.  And  we  should  be  hard  put  to  it  to  explain  our 
presence  here  at  this  particular  time  if  he  were  to  see  you." 

''My  dear  chap,  you  don't  surely  mean  that  you  think  he 
is  really  at  the  bottom  of  it?"  began  Narkom,  in  surprise; 
but  before  he  could  say  a  word  further,  that  surprise  was 
completely  overwhelmed  by  another  and  a  greater  one. 
For  the  Honourable  Felix  had  reined  in  and  dismounted  at 
the  French  Horn's  door,  and,  wifh  a  clear- voiced,  ''No, 
don't  put  him  up;  I  shan't  be  long,  Betty.  Just  want  a 
word  or  two  with  some  friends  I'm  expecting,"  walked 
straightway  into  the  bar  parlour  and  advanced  toward  th^:? 
superintendent  with  hand  outstretched. 

''Thank  God,  you  got  my  letter  in  time,  Mr.  Narkom," 
he  said,  with  a  breath  of  intense  relief.  "Although  I  sent 
it  by  express  messenger,  it  was  after  three  o'clock  and  I  was 
afraid  you  wouldn't.  What  a  friend  you  are  to  come  to  my 
reKef  like  this!  I  shall  owe  you  a  debt  no  money  can  re- 
pay. This  then  is  the  great  and  amazing  Cleek,  is  it?  I 
thank  you,  Mr.  Cleek,  I  thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my 
heart  for  accepting  the  case.  Now  we  shall  get  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  mystery,  I  am  sure." 

It  was  upon  the  tip  of  Narkom's  tongue  to  inquire  what  he 
meant  by  all  this;  but  Cleek,  rightly  suspecting  that  the 
letter  to  which  he  alluded  had  been  deHvered  at  the  Yard 
after  the  superintendent's  departure,  jumped  into  the 
breach  and  saved  the  situation. 

"Very  good  of  you  indeed  to  place  such  great  rehance 
in  me,  Mr.  Carruthers,"  he  said.  "We  had  to  scramble  for 
it,  Mr.  Narkom  and  I  —  the  letter  was  so  late  in  arriving  — 
but,  thank  fortune,  we  managed  to  get  here,  as  you  see. 
And  now,  please,  may  I  have  the  details  of  the  case?" 

He  spoke  guardedly,  lest  it  should  be  upon  some  matter 
other  than  the  interest  of  the  " Golden  Boy"  and  to  prevent 
the  Honourable  Felix  from  guessing  that  he  had  already 
been  approached  upon  that  subject  by  Lady  Essington.     It 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  339 

was  not  some  other  matter,  however.  It  was  again  the 
mystery  of  the  secret  attacks  upon  his  Httle  lordship  he  was 
asked  to  dispel;  and  the  Honourable  Felix,  plunging  forth- 
with into  the  details  connected  with  it,  gave  him  exactly 
the  same  report  as  Lady  Essington  had  done. 

''Come  to  the  rescue,  Mr.  Cleek,"  he  finished,  rather 
excitedly.  ''Both  my  wife  and  I  feel  that  you  and  you 
alone  are  the  man  to  get  at  the  bottom  of  this  diabolical 
thing;  and  the  boy  is  as  dear  to  us  as  if  he  were  our  own. 
Help  me  to  get  proof  —  unimpeachable  proof  —  of  the 
hand  which  is  engineering  these  diabolical  attacks,  that 
we  may  not  only  put  an  end  to  them  before  they  go  too  far, 
but  may  avert  the  disgrace  which  publicity  must  inevitably 
bring." 

"Publicity,  Mr.  Carruthers?  What  publicity  are  you  in 
dread  of,  please?" 

"That  which  could  only  bring  shame  to  a  dear,  lovable 
young  fellow  if  any  hint  of  what  I  beUeve  to  be  the  truth 
should  get  out,  Mr.  Cleek,"  he  repKed.  "To  you  I  may 
confess  it:  I  appeal  to  no  medical  man  because  I  fear,  for 
young  Claude's  sake,  that  investigation  may  lead  to  a  dis- 
covery of  the  truth;  for  both  my  wife  and  I  feel  —  indeed, 
we  almost  know  —  that  it  is  his  own  grandmother,  Lady 
Essington,  who  is  injuring  the  boy  and  that  it  will  not  be 
long  before  she  attempts  to  direct  suspicion  against  us^ 

"  Indeed?     For  what  purpose?  " 

"To  have  us  removed  by  the  courts  as  not  being  fit  to 
have  the  care  of  the  child,  and  to  get  him  transferred  to  her 
care,  that  she  may  enjoy  the  revenue  from  his  estate." 

"Phew! "  whistled  Cleek  softly.     "Well  done,  my  lady!" 

"We  do  our  best  to  keep  her  from  getting  at  him,"  went 
on  the  Honourable  FeHx,  "but  she  succeeds  in  spite  of  us. 
His  nursery  was  on  the  same  floor  as  her  rooms,  but  for 
greater  safety  I  last  night  had  him  carried  to  my  own  bed- 
chamber and  double-locked  all  the  windows  and  doors.     I 


340  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

said  to  myself  that  nothing  could  get  to  him  then ;  but  —  it 
did,  just  the  same!  In  the  middle  of  the  night  he  woke  up 
screaming  and  crying  out  that  some  one  had  come  and 
stuck  a  long  needle  in  his  neck,  and  then  for  the  first  time  — 
God !  I  nearly  went  ofif  my  head  when  I  saw  it  —  for  the 
first  time,  Mr.  Cleek,  there  was  a  mark  upon  him  —  three 
red  raw  little  spots  just  over  the  collarbone  on  the  left  side 
of  the  neck,  as  if  a  bird  had  pecked  him." 

^'Hum-m-m!    And  all  the  windows  closed,  you  say?" 

"All  but  one  —  the  window  of  my  dressing-room  —  but 
as  that  is  barred  so  that  nobody  could  possibly  get  in,  I 
thought  it  did  not  matter,  and  so  left  it  partly  open  for  the 
sake  of  air." 

"I  see,"  said  Cleek.  "I  see!  Hum-m-m!  A  fortnight 
without  any  outward  sign  and  then  of  a  sudden  three  small 
raw  spots!  Indented  in  the  centre  are  they,  and  much  in- 
flamed about  the  edges?  Thanks!  Quite  so,  quite  so! 
And  the  doors  locked  and  all  the  windows  but  one  closed 

and  secured  on  the  inside,  so  that  no  human  body • 

What's  that?  Take  the  case?  Certainly  I  will,  Mr.  Car- 
ruthers.  You  are  entertaining  a  house  party  at  present,  I 
hear.  Now  if  you  can  make  it  convenient  to  put  me  up  in 
the  Priory  for  a  night  or  two,  and  will  inform  your  guests 
that  an  old  'Varsity  friend  named  —  er  —  let's  see !  Oh, 
ah!  Deland,  that  will  do  as  well  as  any  —  Lieutenant 
Arthur  Deland,  home  on  leave  from  India  —  if  you  will  in- 
form your  guests  that  that  friend  will  join  the  house  party 
to-morrow  afternoon,  I'll  be  with  you  in  time  for  lunch,  and 
will  bring  my  man  servant  with  me." 

"Thank  you!  thank  you!"  said  the  Honourable  Felix, 
wringing  his  hand.  "I'll  do  exactly  as  you  suggest,  Mr. 
Cleek,  and  rooms  shall  be  ready  for  you  when  you  arrive." 

And  the  matter  being  thus  arranged,  the  Honourable 
FeKx  took  his  departure;  and  Cleek,  calling  the  landlady 
to  furnish  him  with  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  sat  down  then  and 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  341 

there  to  write  a  private  note  to  Lady  Essington,  telling  her 
to  look  out  for  Mr.  George  Headland  to  put  in  an  appearance 
at  the  Priory  in  three  days'  time. 

It  was  exactly  half-past  one  o'clock  when  Lieutenant 
Arthur  Deland,  a  big,  handsome,  fair-haired,  fair-mous- 
tached  fellow,  with  the  stamp  of  the  Army  all  over  him, 
turned  up  at  Boskydell  Priory  with  an  undersized  Indian 
servant  and  an  oversized  kit  and  was  presented  to  his  host- 
ess and  to  the  several  members  of  the  house  party,  by  all 
of  whom  he  was  voted  a  decided  acquisition  before  he  had 
been  an  hour  under  the  Priory's  roof. 

It  is  odd  how  one's  fancies  sometimes  go.  He  found  the 
Honourable  Mrs.  Carruthers  a  sw^et,  gentle,  dovelike  httle 
woman  for  whom  he  did  not  care  in  the  least  degree,  and  he 
fomid  Lady  Essington's  son  a  rolKcking,  bubbling,  over- 
grown boy  of  two-and-twenty,  whom,  in  spite  of  frivolous 
upbringing  and  a  rather  pronounced  brusqueness  toward  his 
mother,  he  fancied  very  much  indeed.  In  fact,  he  ''played 
right  up"  to  Mr.  Claude  Essington,  as  our  American  cous- 
ins say;  and  Mr.  Claude  Essington,  fancying  him  hugely, 
took  him  to  his  heart  forthwith  and  blurted  out  his  senti- 
ments mth  almost  small-boy  candour. 

''I  say,  Deland,  you're  a  spiffing  sort  —  I  like  you!"  he 
said  bluntly,  after  they'd  played  one  or  two  sets  of  tennis 
with  the  ladies  and  done  their  "social  duties"  generally. 
"If  things  look  up  a  bit  and  I'm  able  to  go  back  to  Oxford  for 
the  next  term  (and  the  Lord  knows  how  I  shall,  if  the  mater 
doesn't  succeed  in  'touching'  Carruthers  for  some  money 
for  we're  jolly  near  broke  and  up  to  our  eyes  in  debt),  but 
if  I  do  go  back  and  you're  in  England  still,  I'll  have  you  up 
for  the  May  week  and  give  you  the  time  of  your  life.  Oh, 
Lord!  here's  the  mater  coming  now.  Let's  hook  it.  Come 
round  to  the  stables,  will  you,  and  have  a  look  at  my  col- 
lection.    Pippin'  lot  —  they'll  interest  you." 


342      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

They  did;  for  on  investigation  the  "collection"  proved  to 
be  made  up  of  pigeons,  magpies,  parrakeets,  white  mice, 
monkeys,  and  even  a  tame  squirrel,  all  of  which  came  forth 
at  their  master's  call  and  swarmed  or  flocked  all  over  him. 

"Now  then,  Dolly  Varden,  you  keep  your  thieving  tongs 
away  from  my  scarf  pin,  old  lady!"  exclaimed  this  enthu- 
siast to  a  magpie  which  perched  upon  his  shoulder  and  im- 
mediately made  a  peck  at  the  small  pearl  in  his  necktie. 
"Awfullest  old  thief  and  vagrant  that  ever  sprouted  a 
feather,  this  beauty,"  he  explained  to  Cleek  as  he  smoothed 
the  magpie's  head.  "Steal  your  eye  teeth  if  she  could  get  at 
them,  and  goes  off  on  the  loose  like  a  blessed  wandering 
gypsy.  Lost  her  for  three  days  and  nights  a  couple  of 
weeks  ago,  and  the  Lord  knows  where  the  old  vagrant  put 
in  her  time.  What's  that?  The  white  stuff  on  her  beak? 
Blest  if  I  know.  Been  pecking  at  a  wall  or  something,  I 
reckon,  and  —  hullo!  There's  Carruthers  and  his  Httle 
lordship  strolHng  about  hand  in  hand.  Let's  go  and  have  a 
word  with  them.  Strathmere's  amazingly  fond  of  my  mice 
and  birds." 

With  that  he  walked  away  with  the  mice  and  the  monkeys 
and  the  squirrel  clinging  to  him,  and  those  of  the  birds  that 
were  not  perched  upon  his  shoulders  or  his  hands  circling 
round  his  head  with  a  flurry  of  moving  wings.  Cleek  fol- 
lowed. A  word  in  private  with  the  Honourable  Felix  was 
accountable  for  his  appearance  in  the  grounds  with  the  boy, 
and  Cleek  was  anxious  to  get  a  good  look  at  him  without 
exciting  any  possible  suspicion  in  Lady  Essington's  mind 
regarding  the  "Lieutenant's"  interest  in  him. 

He  was  a  bonny  Httle  chap,  this  last  Earl  of  Strathmere, 
with  a  head  and  face  that  might  have  done  duty  for  one  of 
Raphael's  "Cherubim"  and  the  big  "wonder  eyes"  that 
make  baby  faces  so  alluring. 

"Strathmere,  this  is  Lieutenant  Deland,  come  all  the  way 
from  India  to  visit  us,"  said  the  Honourable  FeHx,  as  Cleek 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      343 

went  down  on  his  knees  and  spoke  to  the  boy  (examining 
him  carefully  the  while).  ^' Won't  you  tell  him  you  are 
pleased  to  see  him?" 

"Pleased  to  see  oo,"  said  the  boy,  then  broke  into  a  shout  of 
glee  as  he  caught  sight  of  young  Essington  with  the  animals 
and  birds.  ''Pitty  birdies!  pitty  mouses!  Give!  give!"  he 
exclaimed  eagerly,  stretching  forth  his  little  hands. 

''Certainly.  Which  will  you  have,  old  chap  —  magpie, 
parrakeet,  pigeon,  monkey,  or  mice?"  said  young  Essington, 
gayly.  "Here!  take  the  lot  and  be  happy!"  Then  he 
made  as  if  to  bundle  them  all  into  the  child's  arms,  and 
might  have  succeeded  in  doing  so,  but  that  Cleek  rose  up  and 
came  between  them  and  the  boy. 

"Do  have  some  sense,  Essington!"  he  rapped  out  sharply. 
''Those  things  may  not  bite  nor  claw  you,  but  one  can't  be 
sure  when  they  are  handled  by  some  one  else.  Besides,  the 
boy  is  not  well  and  he  ought  not  to  be  frightened." 

"Sorry,  old  chap  —  always  puttin'  my  foot  into  it.  But 
Strathmere  Hkes  'em,  don't  you,  bonny  boy?  and  I  didn't 
think." 

"Take  them  back  to  the  stables  and  let's  have  a  go  at 
bilKards  for  an  hour  or  two  before  tea,"  said  Cleek,  turning 
as  Essington  walked  away,  and  looking  after  him  with  nar- 
rowed eyes  and  Kps  indrawn.  When  man  and  birds  were  out 
of  sight,  however,  he  made  a  sharp  and  sudden  sound,  and 
almost  in  a  twinkUng  his  "Indian  servant"  slipped  into 
sight  from  behind  a  nearby  hedge. 

"Get  round  there  and  examine  those  birds  after  he's 
left  them,"  said  Cleek,  in  a  swift  whisper.  "There's  one  — 
a  magpie  —  with  something  smeared  on  its  beak.  Find  out 
what  it  is  and  bring  me  a  sample.     Look  sharp ! " 

"Right  you  are,  sir,"  answered  in  excellent  Cockney  the 
imdersized  person  addressed.  "I'll  spread  one  of  me  fa- 
mous '  Tickle  Tootsies'  and  nip  in  and  ketch  the  bloomin'  'awk 
as  soon  as  the  josser's  back  is  turned,  guv'ner.     I'm  off,  as 


344  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

the  squib  said  to  the  match  when  it  started  blowin'  of  him 
up."  Then  the  face  disappeared  again,  and  the  child  and  the 
two  men  were  again  alone  together. 

''Good  God,  man!"  exclaimed  the  Honourable  Felix  in 
a  lowered  voice  of  strong  excitem.ent.     "You  can't  possibly 

beheve  that  he  —  that  dear,  lovable  boy Oh,  it  is 

beyond  behef!" 

''Nothing  is  'beyond  belief  in  my  hne,  my  friend.  Rec- 
ollect that  even  Lucifer  was  an  angel  07Ke.  I  know  the 
means  employed  to  bring  about  this"  —  touching  softly 
the  three  red  spots  on  his  Httle  lordship's  neck  —  "but  I 
have  yet  to  decide  how  the  thing  is  administered  and  by 
whom.  Frankly  I  do  not  believe  it  is  done  with  a  bird's 
beak  —  though  that,  too,  is  possible,  wild  as  it  seems  — but 
by  this  time  to-morrow  I  promise  you  the  riddle  shall  be 
solved.  Sh-h!  Don't  speak —  he's  coming  back.  Take 
the  boy  into  your  own  room  to-night,  but  leave  the  door  un- 
fastened. I'm  coming  down  to  watch  by  him  with  you. 
Let  him  first  be  put  into  the  regular  nursery,  however,  then 
take  him  out  without  the  knowledge  of  any  H\ing  soul  —  of 
any.  you  hear?  —  and  I  will  be  with  you  before  midnight." 

That  night  two  curious  things  happened:  The  first  was 
that  at  a  quarter  to  seven,  when  Martha,  the  nursemaid, 
coming  up  into  the  nursery  to  put  his  little  lordship  to  bed, 
found  Lieutenant  Deland  —  who  was  supposed  to  be  dress- 
ing for  dinner  at  the  time  —  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
room  looking  all  about  the  place. 

"Don't  be  startled,  Nurse,"  he  said,  as  he  looked  round 
and  saw  her.  "Your  master  has  asked  me  to  design  a  new 
decoration  for  this  room,  and  I'm  having  a  peep  about  in 
quest  of  inspiration.  Ah,  Strathmere,  'Dustman's  time,'  I 
see.  Pleasant  dreams  to  you,  old  chap.  See  you  in  the 
morning  when  you're  awake." 

"Say  good  night  to  the  gentleman,  your  lordship,"  said 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YxVRD  345 

the  nurse,  laying  both  hands  on  his  shoulders  and  lead- 
ing him  forward,  whereupon  he  began  to  whine  sleepily: 
''Want  Sambo!  Want  Sambo!"  and  to  rub  his  fists  into 
his  eyes. 

"Yes,  dearie,  Nanny'll  get  Sambo  for  your  lordship  after 
your  lordship  has  said  good  night  to  the  gentleman,"  soothed 
the  nurse;  and  held  him  gently  until  he  had  done  so. 

"Good  night,  old  chap,"  said  Cleek.  "Hello,  Nurse,  got 
a  sore  finger,  have  you,  eh?  How  did  that  happen?  It 
looks  painful." 

"It  is,  sir,  though  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  think  what- 
ever could  have  made  a  thing  so  bad  from  just  scratching 
one's  finger,  unless  it  could  have  happened  that  there  was 
something  poisonous  on  the  wretched  magpie's  claws.  One 
never  can  be  sure  where  those  nasty  things  go  nor  what  they 
dip  into." 

"The  magpie?"  repeated  Cleek.  "What  do  you  mean 
by  that.  Nurse?  Have  you  had  an  unpleasant  experience 
with  a  magpie,  then?" 

"Yes,  sir,  that  big  one  of  Mr.  Essington's:  the  nasty  crea- 
ture that's  always  flying  about.  It  was  a  fortnight  ago,  sir. 
Mistress'  pet  dog  had  got  into  the  nursery  and  laid  hold  of 
Sambo  —  which  is  his  lordship's  rag  doll,  sir,  as  he  never  will 
go  to  sleep  without  —  tore  it  well  nigh  to  pieces  did  the  dog; 
and  knowing  how  his  lordship  would  cry  and  mourn  if  he 
saw  it  like  that,  I  fetched  in  my  work-basket  and  started 
to  mend  it.  I'd  just  got  it  pulled  into  something  like  shape 
and  was  about  to  sew  it  up  when  I  was  called  out  of  the  room 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  when  I  came  back  there  was  that 
wretched  Magpie  that  had  been  missing  for  several  days 
right  inside  my  work-basket  trying  to  steal  my  reels  of  cot- 
ton, sir.  It  had  come  in  through  the  open  window  —  like 
it  so  often  does,  nasty  thing.  I  loathe  magpies  and  I  be- 
lieve that  that  one  knows  it.  Anyway,  when  I  caught  up 
a  towel  and  began  to  flick  at  it  to  get  it  out  of  the  room,  it 


346  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

turned  on  me  and  scratched  or  pecked  my  finger,  and  it^s 
been  bad  ever  since.  Cook  says  she  thinks  I  must  have 
touched  it  against  something  poisonous  after  the  skin  was 
broken.     Maybe  I  did,  sir,  but  I  can't  think  what." 

Cleek  made  no  comment;  merely  turned  on  his  heel  and 
walked  out  of  the  room. 

The  second  curious  thing  occurred  between  nine  o'clock 
and  half-past,  when  the  gentlemen  of  the  party  were  lin- 
gering at  the  table  over  post-prandial  liqueurs  and  cigars,  and 
the  ladies  had  adjourned  to  the  drawing-room.  A  recol- 
lection of  having  carelessly  left  his  kit-bag  unlocked  drew 
Cleek  to  invent  an  excuse  for  leaving  the  room  for  a  minute 
or  two  and  sent  him  speeding  up  the  stairs.  The  gas  in  the 
upper  halls  had  been  lowered  while  the  members  of  the 
household  were  below;  the  passages  were  dim  and  shadowy, 
and  the  thick  carpet  on  halls  and  stairs  gave  forth  never  a 
murmur  of  sound  from  under  his  feet  nor  from  under  the 
feet  of  yet  another  person  who  had  gone  like  he,  but  by  a 
different  staircase,  to  the  floors  above. 

It  was,  therefore,  only  by  the  merest  chance  that  he 
looked  down  one  of  the  passages  in  passing  and  saw  a  swift- 
moving  figure  —  a  woman's  —  cross  it  at  the  lower  end  and 
pass  hastily  into  the  nursery  of  the  sleeping  boy.  And  — 
whether  her  purpose  was  a  good  or  an  evil  one  —  it  was 
something  of  a  shock  to  realize  that  the  woman  who  was 
doing  this  was  the  Honourable  Mrs.  Carruthers. 

He  locked  the  kit-bag,  and  went  back  to  the  dining-room 
just  as  the  little  gathering  was  breaking  up,  and  Mr.  Claude 
Essington,  who  always  fed  his  magpies  and  his  other  pets 
himself,  was  bewailing  the  fact  that  he  had  "forgotten  the 
beauties  until  this  minute"  and  was  smoothing  out  an  old 
newspaper  in  which  to  wrap  the  scraps  of  cheese  and  meat 
he  had  sent  the  butler  to  the  kitchen  to  procure. 

The  Honourable  Felix  looked  up  at  Cleek  with  a  question 
in  his  eye. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  347 

"No,"  he  contrived  to  whisper  in  reply.  ^'It  was  not 
anything  poisonous  —  merely  candle  wax.  The  bird  had 
flown  in  through  the  store-room  window,  and  the  house- 
keeper caught  it  carrying  away  candles  one  by  one." 

The  Honourable  Felix  made  no  response,  nor  would  it 
have  been  heard  had  he  done  so;  for  just  at  that  moment 
young  Essington,  whose  eye  had  been  caught  by  something 
in  the  paper,  burst  out  into  a  loud  guffaw. 

*'I  say,  this  is  rich.  Listen  here,  you  fellows!  Lay  you 
a  tenner  that  the  chap  who  wrote  this  was  a  Paddy  Whack, 
for  a  finer  bull  never  escaped  from  a  Tipperary  paddock: 

"  *Lost:  Somewhere  between  Portsmouth  and  London  or  some 
other  spot  on  the  way,  a  small  black  leather  bag  containing  a 
death  certificate  and  some  other  things  of  no  value  to  anybody 
but  the  owner.  Finder  will  be  liberally  rewarded  if  all  con- 
tents are  returned  intact  to 

"  '  D.  J.  CM.,  425  Savile  Row,  West.' 

"There's  a  beautiful  example  of  English  as  she  is  adver- 
tised for  you;  and  if Hullo,  Deland,  old  chap,  what's 

the  matter  with  you?" 

For  Cleek  had  suddenly  jumped  up  and,  catching  the 
Honourable  Felix  by  the  shoulder,  was  hurrying  him  out  of 
the  room. 

"Just  thought  of  something  —  that's  all.  Got  to  make 
a  run;  be  with  you  again  before  bedtime,"  he  answered  eva- 
sively. But  once  on  the  other  side  of  the  door:  "  'Write 
me  down  an  ass,'"  he  quoted,  turning  to  his  host.  "No, 
don't  ask  any  questions.  Lend  me  your  auto  and  your 
chauffeur.  Call  up  both  as  quickly  as  possible.  Wait  u'p 
for  me  and  keep  your  wife  and  Lady  Essington  and  her  son 
waiting  up,  too.  I  said  to-morrow  I  would  answer  the 
riddle,  did  I  not?  Well,  then,  if  I'm  not  the  bHndest  bat 
that  ever  flew,  I'll  give  you  that  answer  to-night." 

Then  he  turned  round  and  raced  upstairs  for  his  hat  and 


348      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

coat,  and  ten  minutes  later  was  pelting  off  London- ward  as 
fast  as  a  p^i,ooo  Panhard  could  carry  him. 

It  was  close  to  one  o'clock  when  he  came  back  and  walked 
into  the  drawing-room  of  the  Priory,  accompanied  by  a 
sedate  and  bespectacled  gentleman  of  undoubted  Celtic 
origin  whom  he  introduced  as  ''Doctor  James  O'Malley, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  M.D.,  DubHn." 

Lady  Essington  and  her  son  acknowledged  the  introduc- 
tion by  an  inclination  of  the  head,  the  Honourable  Felix  and 
Mrs.  Carruthers,  ditto;  then  her  ladyship's  son  spoke  up  in 
his  usual  blunt,  outspoken  way. 

*'l  say,  Deland,  what's  in  the  wind?"  he  asked.  ''What 
lark  are  you  up  to  now?  Fehx  says  you've  got  a  chnking 
big  surprise  for  us  all,  and  here  we  are,  dear  boy,  all  primed 
and  ready  for  it.     Let's  have  it,  there's  a  good  chap." 

"Very  well,  so  you  shall,"  he  repKed.  "But  first  of  all 
let  me  lay  aside  a  useless  mask  and  acknowledge  that  I  am 
not  an  Indian  army  officer  —  I  am  a  simple  pohce  detective 
sometimes  called  George  Headland,  your  ladyship,  and  some- 
times   " 

"George  Headland!"  she  broke  in  sharply,  getting  up  and 
then  sitting  down  again,  pale  and  shaken.  "And  you  came 
• —  you  came  after  all !  Oh,  thank  you,  thank  you !  I  know 
you  would  not  confess  this  unless  you  have  succeeded.  Oh, 
you  may  know  at  last  —  you  may  know!"  she  added,  turn- 
ing upon  the  Honourable  Felix  and  his  wife.  "I  sent  for 
him  —  I  brought  him  here.  I  want  to  know  and  I  will 
know  whose  hand  it  is  that  is  striking  at  Strathmere's  life 
—  my  child's  child  —  the  dearest  thing  to  me  in  all  the 
world.  I  don't  care  what  I  suffer,  I  don't  care  what  I  lose, 
I  don't  care  if  the  courts  award  him  to  the  veriest  stranger, 
so  that  his  dear  little  life  is  spared  and  he  is  put  beyond  all 
danger  for  good  and  all." 

Real  love  shone  in  her  face  and  eyes  as  she  said  this,  and 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YAED  349 

it  was  the  certainty  of  that  which  surprised  Carruthers  and 
his  wife  as  much  as  the  words  she  spoke. 

*'Good  heavens!  is  this  thing  true!"  The  Honourable 
Felix  turned  to  Cleek  as  he  spoke.  ^' Were  you  in  her  pay, 
too?     Was  she  also  working  for  the  salvation  of  the  boy?  '^ 

"Yes,"  he  made  answer.  ''I  entered  into  her  service 
under  the  name  of  George  Headland,  Mr.  Carruthers  —  the 
service  of  a  good  woman  whom  I  misjudged  far  enough  to 
give  her  a  fictitious  name.  I  entered  into  yours  by  one  to 
which  I  have  a  better  right  —  Hamilton  Cleek ! " 

"Cleek!"  Both  her  ladyship  and  her  son  were  on  their 
feet  Hke  a  flash;  there  was  a  breath  of  silence  and  then: 
"  Well,  I'm  dashed ! "  blurted  out  young  Essington.  "  Cleek, 
eh?  the  great  Cleek?  Scotland!"  And  sat  down  again, 
overcome. 

"Yes,  Cleek,  my  friend;  Cleek,  ladies  and  gentlemen  all. 
And  now  that  the  mask  is  off,  let  me  tell  you  a  short  Httle 
story  which — no!  Pardon,  Mr.  Essington,  don't  leave 
the  room,  please.     I  wish  you,  too,  to  hear." 

"Wasn't  going  to  leave  it  —  only  going  to  shut  the  door." 

"Ah,  I  see.  Allow  me.  It  is  now,  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
exactly  fourteen  days  since  our  friend  Doctor  O'Malley  here, 
coming  up  from  Portsmouth  on  his  motorcycle  after  attend- 
ing a  patient  who  that  day  had  died,  was  overcome  by  the 
extreme  heat  and  the  exertion  of  trying  to  fight  off  a  bellig- 
erent magpie  which  flew  out  of  the  woods  and  persistently 
attacked  him,  and,  falling  to  the  ground,  lost  consciousness. 
WTien  he  regained  it,  he  was  in  the  Charing  Cross  Hospital, 
and  all  that  he  knew  of  his  being  there  was  that  a  motorist 
who  had  picked  him  and  his  cycle  up  on  the  road  had  carried 
him  there  and  turned  him  over  to  the  authorities.  He  him- 
self was  unable,  however,  to  place  the  exact  locahty  in  which 
he  was  travelling  at  the  time  of  the  accident,  otherwise  we 
should  not  have  had  that  extremely  interesting  advertise- 
ment which  Mr.  Essington  read  out  this  evening.     For  the 


350  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

doctor  had  lost  a  small  black  bag  containing  something' 
extremely  valuable,  which  he  was  carrying  at  the  time  and 
which  supplies  the  solution  to  this  interesting  riddle.  How, 
do  3^ou  ask?  Come  v/ith  me  —  all  of  you  —  to  Mr.  Car- 
ruthers'  room,  where  his  little  lordship  is  sleeping,  and  learn 
that  for  yourselves." 

They  rose  at  his  word  and  followed  him  upstairs;  and 
there,  in  a  dimJy  Ht  room,  the  sleeping  child  lay  with  an  old 
rag  doll  hugged  up  close  to  him,  its  painted  face  resting  in 
the  curve  of  his  little  neck. 

^' You  want  to  know  from  where  proceed  these  mysterious 
.attacks  —  who  and  what  it  is  that  harms  the  child?"  said 
Cleek  as  he  went  forward  on  tiptoe  and,  gently  withdrawing 
the  doll,  held  it  up.  ''Here  it  is,  then  —  this  is  the  culprit: 
this  thing  here!  You  want  to  know  how?  Then  by  this 
means  —  look!  See!"  He  thrust  the  blade  of  a  pocket 
knife  into  the  doll  and  with  one  sweep  ripped  it  open,  and 
dipping  in  his  fingers  drew  from  cotton  wool  and  rags  with 
which  the  thing  was  stuffed  a  slim,  close-stoppered  glass 
vial  in  which  something  that  glowed  and  gave  off  constant 
sparks  of  Hght  shimmered  and  burnt  with  a  restless  fire. 

"Is  this  it,  Doctor?"  he  said,  holding  the  thing  up. 

"Yes!  Oh,  my  God,  yes!"  he  cried  out  as  he  clutched 
at  it.  "A  wonder  of  the  heavens,  sure,  that  the  child  wasn't 
disfigured  for  hfe  or  perhaps  kilt  forever.  A  half  grain  of  it 
—  a  half  grain  of  radium,  ladies  and  gentlemen  —  enough 
to  burn  a  hole  through  the  diwle  himself,  if  he  lay  long 
enough  agin  it." 

"Radium ! "  The  word  was  voiced  on  every  side,  and  the 
two  women  and  two  men  crowded  close  to  look  at  the  thing. 
"Radium  in  the  doll?  Radium?  I  say,  Deland  —  I  mean 
to  say,  Mr.  Cleek  —  in  God's  name,  who  could  have  put  the 
cursed  thing  there?" 

"  Your  magpie,  Mr.  Essington,"  replied  Cleek,  and  with 
that  brief  preface  told  of  Martha,  the  nurse,  and  of  the  torn 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD      351 

doll  and  of  the  magpie  that  flew  into  the  room  while  the 
girl  was  away. 

^'The  wretched  thing  must  have  picked  it  up  when  the 
doctor  fell  and  lost  consciousness  and  the  open  bag  lay  un- 
guarded," he  said.  "And  with  its  propensity  for  stealing 
and  hiding  things  it  flew  with  it  into  the  nursery  and  hid  it 
in  the  torn  doll.  Martha  did  not  see  it,  of  course,  when  she 
sewed  the  doll  up,  but  the  scratch  she  received  from  the  mag- 
pie presented  a  raw  surface  to  the  action  of  the  mineral  and 
its  effect  was  instant  and  most  violent.  What's  that?  No, 
Mr.  Carruthers  —  no  one  is  guilty;  no  one  has  even  tried 
to  injure  his  lordship.  Chance  only  is  to  blame  —  and 
Chance  cannot  be  punished.  As  for  the  rest,  do  me  a 
favour,  dear  friend,  in  place  of  any  other  kind  of  reward. 
Look  to  it  that  this  young  chap  here  gets  enough  out  of  the 
income  of  the  estate  to  continue  his  course  at  Oxford  and  — 
that's  all," 

It  was  not,  however;  for  while  he  was  still  speaking  a 
strange  and  even  startling  interruption  occurred. 

A  liveried  servant,  pushing  the  door  open  gently,  stepped 
into  the  room  bearing  a  small  silver  salver  upon  which  a 
letter  lay. 

"Well,  upon  my  word,  Johnston,  this  is  rather  an  original 
sort  of  performance,  isn't  it?'^  exclaimed  Carruthers,  indig- 
nant over  the  intrusion. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  I  did  knock,"  he  apologized. 
"I  knocked  twice,  in  fact,  but  no  one  seemed  to  hear;  and 
as  I  had  been  told  it  was  a  matter  of  more  than  Kfe  and 
death,  I  presumed.  Letter  for  Lieutenant  Deland,  sir.  A 
gentleman  of  the  name  of  Narkom —  in  a  motor,  sir  —  at 
the  door  —  asked  me  to  deliver  it  at  once  and  imder  any 
and  all  circumstances." 

Cleek  looked  at  the  letter,  saw  that  it  was  enclosed  in 
a  plain  unaddressed  envelope,  asked  to  be  excused,  and 
stepped  out  into  the  passage  with  it. 


352  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

That  Narkom  should  have  come  for  him  like  this  — ■ 
should  have  risked  the  upsetting  of  a  case  by  appearing 
before  he  knew  if  it  was  settled  or,  indeed,  likely  to  be  — 
could  mean  but  one  thing :  that  his  errand  was  one  of  over- 
whelming importance,  of  more  moment  than  anything  else 
in  the  world. 

He  tore  off  the  envelope  w^th  hands  that  shook,  and  spread 
open  the  sheet  of  paper  it  contained. 

There  was  but  one  single  Hne  upon  it;  but  that  line, 
penned  in  that  hand,  would  have  called  liim  from  the 
world's  end. 

"Conie  to  me  at  oiice.  Ailsa,''^  he  read  —  and  was  on  his 
way  do"^Tistairs  hke  a  shot. 

In  the  lower  hall  the  butler  stood,  holding  his  hat  and  coat 
ready  for  him  to  jump  into  them  at  once. 

*'My  —  er  —  young  servant  —  quick  as  you  can!'' 
said  Cleek,  grabbing  the  hat  and  hurrying  into  the  coat. 

'^Already  outside,  sir  —  in  the  motor  with  the  gentleman," 
the  butler  gave  back;  then  opened  the  door  and  stepped 
aside,  holding  it  back  for  him  and  bowing  deferentially; 
and  the  light  of  the  hall,  streaking  out  into  the  night,  showed 
a  flight  of  shallow^  steps,  the  blue  limousine  at  the  foot  of 
them  —  with  Lemiard  in  the  driver's  seat  and  Dollops  be- 
side him  —  and  standing  on  the  lowest  step  of  all  Mr.  Nar- 
kom holding  open  the  car's  door  and  looking  curiously  pale 
and  solemn. 

*'What  is  it?  Is  she  hurt?  Has  anything  happened  to 
her?"  Cleek  jumbled  the  three  questions  into  one  unbro' 
ken  breath  as  he  came  running  dov^Ti  the  steps  and  caught 
at  the  superintendent's  arm.  Speak  up !  Don't  stand  look- 
ing at  me  Hke  a  dumb  thing!  Is  anything  wrong  with  Miss 
Lome?" 

^'Nothing  —  nothing  at  all." 

*' Thank  God!  Then  wh}?  Why?  For  what  reason  has 
she  sent  for  me?    Where  is  she?     Speak  up ! " 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  359 

*^In  town.  Waiting  for  you.  At  the  Mauravanian  em- 
bassy." 

^'At  the Good  God !    How  comes  she  to  be  there  ?  " 

*'I  took  her.     You  told  me  if  anything  happened  to  you 

that  I  thought  she  ought  to  know Please  get  in  and 

let  us  be  off,  sir  —  Sire  —  whichever  it  ought  to  be.  I 
don't  know  the  proper  form  of  address.  I've  never  had  any 
personal  deahngs  with  royalty  before." 

The  hand  that  rested  on  his  arm  tightened  its  grip  the 
very  instant  that  word  royalty  passed  his  lips.  Now  it 
relaxed  suddenly,  dropped  away,  and  he  scarcely  recognized 
the  voice  that  spoke  next,  so  unhke  to  Cleek's  it  was,  so 
thick  was  the  tremulous  note  that  pulsated  through  it. 

^'  Royalty?  "  it  repeated.  *^Speak  up,  please.  What  have 
you  found  out?  What  do  you  know  of  me  that  you  make 
use  of  that  term?" 

"What  everybody  in  the  world  will  know  by  to-morrow. 
Count  Irma  has  told !  Count  Irma  has  come,  as  the  special 
envoy  of  the  people,  for  Queen  Karaia's  son!  For  the  King 
they  want!  For  you!"  flung  out  Narkom,  getting  excited 
as  he  proceeded.  ''It's  all  out  at  last  and  —  I  know  now. 
Everybody  does.  I'm  to  lose  you.  Mauravania  is  to  take 
you  from  me  after  all.  A  palace  is  to  have  you  —  not  the 
Yard.  Get  in,  please,  sir  —  Sire  —  your  Majesty.  Get 
in.  They're  waiting  for  you  at  the  embassy.  Get  in  and 
go!  Good  luck  to  you!  God  bless  you!  I  mean  that. 
It's  just  about  going  to  break  my  heart,  Cleek,  but  I  mean 
it  every  word!  Mind  the  step.  Sire.  Make  room  for  me 
on  the  seat  there,  you  two;  and  then  off  to  the  embassy  as 
fast  as  you  can  streak  it,  Lennard.  His  Majesty  is  all  ready 
to  start." 

*'Not  yet,  please,"  a  voice  said  quietly;  then  a  hand 
reached  out  from  the  interior  of  the  limousine,  dropped  upon 
Mr.  Narkom's  shoulder  and,  tightening  there,  drew  him 
ivex  the  step  and  into  the  car.     *' Your  old  seat,  mv  friend. 


354  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

Here  beside  me.  My  memory  is  not  a  short  one  and  my 
affections  not  fickle.  All  right  now,  Lennard.  Let  her 
go!" 

Then  the  door  closed  with  a  smack,  the  limousine  came 
round  with  a  swing,  and,  just  as  in  those  other  days  when  it 
was  the  Law  that  called,  not  the  trumpet-peal  from  a  throne, 
the  car  went  bounding  off  at  the  good  old  mile-a-minute 
chp  on  its  fly-away  race  for  London. 

It  ended,  that  race,  in  front  of  the  Mauravanian  embassy; 
and  Cleek's  love  for  the  spectacular  must  have  come  near  to 
being  surfeited  that  night,  for  the  building  was  one  blaze 
of  light,  one  glamour  of  flags  and  flowers  and  festooned 
bunting;  and  looking  up  the  steps,  down  Vv^hich  a  crimson 
carpet  ran  across  the  pavement  to  the  very  kerbstone,  he 
could  see  a  double  hne  of  soldiers  in  the  glittering  white-and- 
silver  of  the  Mauravanian  Royal  Guard  , —  plumed  and  hel- 
meted —  standing  with  swords  at  salute  waiting  to  receive 
him;  and  over  the  arched  doorway  the  royal  arms  embla- 
zoned, and  above  them  —  picked  out  in  winking  gas-jets  — 
a  wreath  of  laurel  surrounding  the  monogram  M.  R.,  which 
stood  for  Maximilian  Rex,  aflame  against  a  marble  back- 
ground. 

^'Here  we  are  at  last,  sir,''  said  Narkom  as  the  car  stopped 
(he  had  learned,  by  this  time,  that  ''Sire"  belonged  to  the 
stage  and  the  Middle  Ages),  and,  aHghting,  held  back  the 
door  that  Cleek  might  get  out. 

Afterward  he  declared  that  that  was  the  proudest  mo- 
ment of  his  life;  for  if  it  was  not  the  proudest  of  Cleek's,  his 
looks  belied  him.  For,  as  his  foot  touched  the  crimson  car- 
pet, a  band  within  swung  into  the  stately  measure  of  the 
Mauravanian  National  Anthem,  an  escort  came  down  the 
hall  and  down  the  steps  and  lined  up  on  either  side  of  him, 
and  if  ever  man  looked  proud  of  his  inheritance,  that  man 
was  he. 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  355 

He  went  on  up  the  steps  and  down  the  long  hall  v/ith  a 
chorus  of  ''Vivat  Maximilian!  Vivat  le  roi!"  following 
him  and  the  sound  of  the  National  Anthem  ringing  in  his 
ears;  then,  all  of  a  moment,  the  escort  fell  back,  doors 
opened,  he  found  himself  in  a  room  that  blazed  with  lights, 
that  echoed  with  the  sound  of  many  vivats,  the  stir  of  many 
bodies,  and  looking  about  saw  that  he  was  surrounded  by  a 
kneeling  gathering  and  that  one  man  in  particular  was  at 
his  feet,  sobbing. 

He  looked  down  and  saw  that  that  man  was  Irma,  and 
smiled  and  put  out  his  hand. 

The  count  bent  over  and  touched  it  with  his  lips. 

^'  Majesty,  I  never  forgot !  Majesty,  I  worked  for  it,  fought 
for  it  ever  since  that  night ! "  he  said.  "I  would  have  fought 
for  it  ever  if  it  need  have  been.  But  it  was  not.  See,  it  was 
not.     It  was  God's  will  and  it  was  our  people's." 

''My  people's!"  Cleek  repeated,  his  head  going  back,  his 
eyes  lighting  with  a  pride  and  a  happiness  beyond  all  tell- 
ing. ''Oh,  Mauravania!  Dear  land.  Dear  country.  Mine 
again!" 

But  hardly  had  the  ecstasy  of  that  thought  laid  its  spell 
upon  him  when  there  came  another  not  less  divine,  and  his 
eyes  went  round  the  gathering  in  quest  of  one  who  should 
be  here  —  at  his  side  —  to  share  this  glorious  moment  with 
him. 

She  had  come  for  that  purpose  —  Narkom  had  said  so. 
Where  was  she,  then?  Why  did  she  hold  herself  in  the  back- 
ground at  such  a  time  as  this  ? 

He  saw  her  at  that  very  moment.  The  gathering  had 
risen  and  she  with  them  —  holding  aloof  at  the  far  end  of 
the  room.  There  was  a  smile  on  her  Kps,  but  even  at  that 
distance  he  could  see  that  she  was  very,  very  pale  and  that 
there  was  a  shadow  of  pain  in  her  dear  eyes. 

'^  We  both  have  battled  for  an  ideal,  Count,"  he  said,  with 
a  happy  little  laugh.     "Here  is  mine.     Here  is  what  I  have 


356      CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

fought  for! "  and  crossing  the  room  he  went  straight  to  Ailsa, 
with  both  hands  outstretched  to  her  and  his  face  fairly 
beaming. 

But  it  needed  not  the  little  shocked  breath  he  heard  upon 
all  sides  to  dash  that  bright  look  from  his  face  and  to  bring 
him  to  a  sudden  halt.  For  at  his  coming,  Ailsa  had  dropped 
the  deep  curtsey  which  is  the  due  of  royalty,  and  was 
moving  away  from  him  backward,  which  is  royalty's  due 
also. 

*'Ailsa!"  he  said,  moving  toward  her  \^dth  a  sharp  and 
sudden  step.  ''Ailsa,  don't  be  absurd.  It  is  too  silly  to 
think  that  forms  should  stand  with  you,  too.  Take  my 
hand  —  take  it!" 

''Your  Majesty " 

"Take  it,  I  tell  you! "  he  repeated  almost  roughly.  "  Good 
God !  do  you  think  that  this  can  make  any  difference?  Take 
my  hand  1     Do  you  hear?  " 

She  obeyed  him  this  time,  but  as  her  fingers  rested  upon 
his  he  saw  that  they  were  quite  ringless  —  that  the  sign  of 
their  engagement  had  been  removed  —  and  caught  her  to 
him  with  a  passionate  sort  of  fierceness  that  was  a  reproach 
in  itself. 

"Could  you  think  so  meanly  of  me?  Could  you?"  he 
cried.     "  Wliere  is  the  ring?  " 

"  In  my  pocket.     I  took  it  off  when  —  I  heard." 

"Put  it  on  again.  Or,  no!  Give  it  to  me  and  let  me  do 
that  myself  —  here,  before  them  all.  Kings  must  have 
queens,  must  they  not?  You  were  always  mme:  you  are 
alwa3^s  going  to  be.  Even  the  day  of  our  wedding  is  not 
to  be  changed." 

"Oh,  hush!"  she  made  answer.  "One's  duty  to  one's 
country  must  always  stand  first  with  —  kings." 

"Must  it?  Kings  after  all  are  only  men  —  and  a  man's 
first  duty  is  to  the  one  woman  of  his  heart." 

"Not  with  kings.     There  is  a  different  rule,  a  different 


CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD  357 

law.  Oh,  let  me-  go  —  please!  I  know,  I  fully  realize,  it 
would  be  different  with  you  —  if  it  were  possible.  But  — 
it  is  the  penalty  one  must  pay  for  kingship,  dear.  Royalty 
must  mate  with  royalty,  not  with  a  woman  of  the  people. 
It  is  the  law  of  all  kingdoms,  the  immutable  law." 

It  was.  He  had  forgotten  that;  and  it  came  upon  him 
now  with  a  shock  of  bitter  recollection.  For  a  moment  he 
stood  silent,  the  colour  draining  out  of  his  face,  the  light 
fading  slowly  from  his  eyes;  then,  of  a  sudden,  he  looked 
over  the  glittering  room  and  across  its  breadth  at  Irma. 

^'It  would  not  be  possible  then?"  he  asked. 

"Not  as  a  royal  consort,  sir.  The  people's  choice  in  that 
respect  would  lie  with  the  hereditary  princess  of  Danubia. 
I  have  already  explained  that  to  Mademoiselle.  But  if  it 
should  be  your  Majesty's  pleasure  to  take  a  morganatic 
wife " 

"Cut  that!"  rapped  in  Cleek's  voice  Hke  the  snap  of  a 
whiplash.  "So,  then,  one  is  to  sell  one's  honour  for  a  crown; 
break  a  woman's  life  for  a  kingdom,  and  become  a  royal 
adulterer  for  the  sake  of  a  throne  and  sceptre!" 

"But,  Majesty,  one's  duty  to  one's  country  is  a  sacred 
thing." 

"Not  so  sacred  as  one's  redeemer,  Count,  and,  under 
God,  here  is  mine!"  he  threw  back,  heatedly.  "Maura-, 
vania  forgot  once;  she  will  forget  again.  She  must  forget! 
My  lords  and  gentlemen,  I  decHne  her  flattering  offer.  My 
only  kingdom  is  here  —  in  this  dear  woman's  arms.  Walk 
with  me,  Ailsa  —  walk  with  me  always.  You  said  you 
would.     Walk  with  me,  dear^  as  my  queen  and  my  wife." 

And  putting  his  arm  about  her  and  holding  her  close, 
and  setting  his  back  to  the  lights  and  the  flags  and  the  ght- 
tering  Guard,  he  passed,  with  head  erect,  through  the  mur- 
muring gathering  and  went  down  and  out  with  her  —  to 
the  blue  limousine  —  to  the  Yard's  service  again  —  and  to 
those  better  things  which  are  the  true  crown  of  a  man's  life. 


358  CLEEK  OF  SCOTLAND  YARD 

At  the  foot  of  the  steps  Narkom  and  Dollops  caught  up 
with  hun,  and  the  boy's  eager  hand  plucked  at  his  sleeve. 

"Guv'ner,  Gawd  love  yer  —  Gawd  love  yer,  sir;  you're  a 
man,  you  are ! "  he  said  with  a  sort  of  sob  in  his  voice.  ''I'm 
glad  you  chucked  it.  It  was  breakin'  my  heart  to  think 
that  I'd  have  to  call  you  'Sire'  all  the  rest  of  my  days,  sir  — 
like  as  if  you  was  a  bloomin'  horse!" 


THE  END 


FOURTEEN  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


20APR^5QXO_ 


At^K  1  4 1956  LL 


25Mar'57JG 


REC'D  LD 


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niM  11 1958     MAY  Z  3  1973  ^9 


21-100m-2,'55 
"9s22)476 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


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